US-Israeli Dispute Over Palestinian State and Post-Gaza War: The Region on the Edge of a Volcano
The Israeli occupation army intensified its aggression on Gaza on Friday amid significant differences in views between Israel and Washington concerning the establishment of a Palestinian state and the expanding scope of conflict reaching the coasts of Yemen.
In the early hours of Friday, eyewitnesses reported gunfire and airstrikes in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip, where Israel claims that many local Hamas leadership members are in hiding.
The Palestinian Red Crescent spoke of "intensive" artillery bombardment around Al-Amal Hospital, while the Ministry of Health reported 77 people martyred and dozens wounded.
In Gaza, where approximately 80% of the residents have been displaced due to airstrikes or fighting, the humanitarian situation remains critical. The World Health Organization announced overnight that it has recorded 24 cases of hepatitis "A," a viral infection of the liver, in addition to "thousands" of cases of jaundice syndrome likely associated with the spread of hepatitis.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wrote on the X platform that "inhumane living conditions – amid a lack of drinking water and clean toilets, coupled with an inability to maintain hygiene in the surrounding areas – will lead to a further spread of hepatitis."
Israeli Incitement: Shoot Any Palestinian
Recognition of the Independent Palestinian State
The official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, announced that without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, there will be no security or stability in the region. This came in a comment on remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister that "there will not be a Palestinian state."
He said in a statement, "Without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, along the 1967 borders, there will be no security or stability in the region."
He added: "The entire region is on the edge of a volcano as a result of the aggressive policies adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights. Condemnation and denunciation statements alone are no longer sufficient. If there is an international will to restore stability to the region and the world, it is necessary to recognize the independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."
He clarified that "the United States bears responsibility for the deterioration of security and stability in the region due to its bias and blind support for the Israeli occupation," noting that such statements confirm that this government is adamant about pushing the entire region into the abyss.
Despite all these statements, the spokesman concluded that "the Palestinian state exists with the recognition of the whole world, and there is no other option for anyone, either in the region or the whole world."
Targeting Civilians Wherever They Are
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the ongoing Israeli incitement to kill more Palestinians under false pretexts and targeting civilians wherever they are.
In a statement, the Ministry referred to racist incendiary statements at the forefront, the toxins disseminated by the extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the soldiers of the occupation army and hardline settlers, where he affirmed his support for shooting any Palestinian even if the soldiers' lives were not in danger.
The Ministry added that Ben-Gvir attempts to demonize all Palestinians, treating them as terrorists, in the ugliest call for deepening extrajudicial killings and committing the massacres practiced by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The statement also referred to what Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps have been subjected to for more than 36 hours as a brutal copy of what Gaza Strip is facing, from total destruction and targeting of civilians, including children, women, ambulances and medical personnel, and health centers, in a feverish Israeli plea and calls from the governing far-right to expand the cycle of violence and ignite more fires in the conflict arena.
The Ministry added: "With the commitment of more massacres in the Gaza Strip and targeting entire residential blocks on top of their residents, tormenting citizens and imposing displacement on them, and suffocating them with more collective penalties."
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated in its statement: "It has become clear that the ongoing cycles of genocide and wholesale destruction of Palestinian lives are the direct and continuous Israeli translation of the pretext of self-defense."
Netanyahu: We Will Continue Bombing for Several Months
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will not settle for less than a total victory, - as he put it - which means the elimination of Hamas, the destruction of the movement's capabilities, the return of hostages, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip with full security control for Israel over everything that enters" the sector. Adding that this will require several months, "Israel must have security control over all the land west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition that contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty."
When asked about Netanyahu's statements, the spokesman for the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby responded, "It's clear that we see things differently."
The United States, the main ally of Israel and its primary supporter in its operations, reaffirms that the creation of a viable and recognized Palestinian state is essential for achieving "real security."
The Post-War Phase
The deep differences of opinion between the United States and Israel concerning the post-war period in the Gaza Strip and the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state, the only guarantor of Israel's security in the long term according to Washington, have once again come to light.
When asked about statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the National Security Council spokesman at the White House, John Kirby responded, "It's clear that we see things differently."
Netanyahu had said that "Israel must have security control over all the land west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition that contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty," clarifying that he had stated this directly to the Americans.
Netanyahu added, "The Israeli Prime Minister must be able to say no, even to our best friends, to say no when it is necessary, and to say yes if it is possible."
These disagreements between Washington and Israel are not new but are resurfacing as the United States exerts significant pressure on its ally regarding the conduct of the war in Gaza and the post-war phase that Hamas's attack on Israel provoked on October 7.
Gaza Reconstruction
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated in the Davos Economic Forum his call for a "path toward a Palestinian state," considering that "without it, obtaining real security is impossible."
During his visit to the Middle East last week, Blinken informed the Israeli authorities that Arab countries had expressed "their commitment" to help, particularly in the reconstruction of Gaza provided that Israel outlines a tangible path toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Washington is also urging Israel to assist the Palestinian Authority rather than hinder it, an authority that cannot act effectively without this "support," according to Blinken.
The spokesman for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, said, "Israel has a historic opportunity to address the challenges it has faced since its founding, and we hope the country will seize this opportunity."
In this tense context, there has been no direct exchange between US President Joe Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister for several weeks.
The Palestinian Red Crescent spoke of "intensive" artillery bombardment around Al-Amal Hospital, while the Ministry of Health reported 77 people martyred and dozens wounded.
In Gaza, where approximately 80% of the residents have been displaced due to airstrikes or fighting, the humanitarian situation remains critical. The World Health Organization announced overnight that it has recorded 24 cases of hepatitis "A," a viral infection of the liver, in addition to "thousands" of cases of jaundice syndrome likely associated with the spread of hepatitis.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wrote on the X platform that "inhumane living conditions – amid a lack of drinking water and clean toilets, coupled with an inability to maintain hygiene in the surrounding areas – will lead to a further spread of hepatitis."
Israeli Incitement: Shoot Any Palestinian
Recognition of the Independent Palestinian State
The official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, announced that without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, there will be no security or stability in the region. This came in a comment on remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister that "there will not be a Palestinian state."
He said in a statement, "Without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, along the 1967 borders, there will be no security or stability in the region."
He added: "The entire region is on the edge of a volcano as a result of the aggressive policies adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights. Condemnation and denunciation statements alone are no longer sufficient. If there is an international will to restore stability to the region and the world, it is necessary to recognize the independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."
He clarified that "the United States bears responsibility for the deterioration of security and stability in the region due to its bias and blind support for the Israeli occupation," noting that such statements confirm that this government is adamant about pushing the entire region into the abyss.
Despite all these statements, the spokesman concluded that "the Palestinian state exists with the recognition of the whole world, and there is no other option for anyone, either in the region or the whole world."
Targeting Civilians Wherever They Are
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the ongoing Israeli incitement to kill more Palestinians under false pretexts and targeting civilians wherever they are.
In a statement, the Ministry referred to racist incendiary statements at the forefront, the toxins disseminated by the extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the soldiers of the occupation army and hardline settlers, where he affirmed his support for shooting any Palestinian even if the soldiers' lives were not in danger.
The Ministry added that Ben-Gvir attempts to demonize all Palestinians, treating them as terrorists, in the ugliest call for deepening extrajudicial killings and committing the massacres practiced by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The statement also referred to what Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps have been subjected to for more than 36 hours as a brutal copy of what Gaza Strip is facing, from total destruction and targeting of civilians, including children, women, ambulances and medical personnel, and health centers, in a feverish Israeli plea and calls from the governing far-right to expand the cycle of violence and ignite more fires in the conflict arena.
The Ministry added: "With the commitment of more massacres in the Gaza Strip and targeting entire residential blocks on top of their residents, tormenting citizens and imposing displacement on them, and suffocating them with more collective penalties."
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated in its statement: "It has become clear that the ongoing cycles of genocide and wholesale destruction of Palestinian lives are the direct and continuous Israeli translation of the pretext of self-defense."
Netanyahu: We Will Continue Bombing for Several Months
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will not settle for less than a total victory, - as he put it - which means the elimination of Hamas, the destruction of the movement's capabilities, the return of hostages, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip with full security control for Israel over everything that enters" the sector. Adding that this will require several months, "Israel must have security control over all the land west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition that contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty."
When asked about Netanyahu's statements, the spokesman for the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby responded, "It's clear that we see things differently."
The United States, the main ally of Israel and its primary supporter in its operations, reaffirms that the creation of a viable and recognized Palestinian state is essential for achieving "real security."
The Post-War Phase
The deep differences of opinion between the United States and Israel concerning the post-war period in the Gaza Strip and the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state, the only guarantor of Israel's security in the long term according to Washington, have once again come to light.
When asked about statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the National Security Council spokesman at the White House, John Kirby responded, "It's clear that we see things differently."
Netanyahu had said that "Israel must have security control over all the land west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition that contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty," clarifying that he had stated this directly to the Americans.
Netanyahu added, "The Israeli Prime Minister must be able to say no, even to our best friends, to say no when it is necessary, and to say yes if it is possible."
These disagreements between Washington and Israel are not new but are resurfacing as the United States exerts significant pressure on its ally regarding the conduct of the war in Gaza and the post-war phase that Hamas's attack on Israel provoked on October 7.
Gaza Reconstruction
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated in the Davos Economic Forum his call for a "path toward a Palestinian state," considering that "without it, obtaining real security is impossible."
During his visit to the Middle East last week, Blinken informed the Israeli authorities that Arab countries had expressed "their commitment" to help, particularly in the reconstruction of Gaza provided that Israel outlines a tangible path toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Washington is also urging Israel to assist the Palestinian Authority rather than hinder it, an authority that cannot act effectively without this "support," according to Blinken.
The spokesman for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, said, "Israel has a historic opportunity to address the challenges it has faced since its founding, and we hope the country will seize this opportunity."
In this tense context, there has been no direct exchange between US President Joe Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister for several weeks.
