Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is opposed to a Palestinian state on Sunday, following protests by far-right coalition allies over a United States-backed statement indicating support for a pathway to Palestinian independence.
He spoke after Israel’s key ally, the U.S., and many Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft UN resolution that backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and said the process offered a route to Palestinian statehood.
Negotiations from the 15-member UN Security Council began on 7 November and would mandate Trump’s proposal for a “Board of Peace” transitional administration in Gaza to address issues including post-war reconstruction and economic recovery.
The plan includes a clause suggesting reforms in the Palestinian Authority that could lead to a credible path for Palestinian self-determination.
Netanyahu issued a statement on Sunday, following pressure from far-right ministers who threatened to walk out if he didn’t act.
"Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed,” Netanyahu said.
“Gaza will be demilitarised and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way. I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone."
A far-right walkout could bring down Netanyahu's right-wing government well before the next election, which must be held by October 2026.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also issued statements on X against a Palestinian state on Sunday, without mentioning Netanyahu.
Trump’s plan brought an end to major fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas after two years of war.
Netanyahu was in favour of Trump’s plan to end the fighting when he visited the White House in September and didn’t issue a statement on Palestine's statehood until Sunday.
Over the two years of war, over 69,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities.
