‘Absolutely no’: Israeli ambassador pours cold water on two-state solution
'Israel knows today, and the world should know now that the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel,' Tzipi Hotovely told Sky News.
There won’t be a Palestinian state, Israel’s ambassador to the UK stated clearly when asked about the prospects of a two-state solution in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday.
“Absolutely no,” ambassador Tzipi Hotovely said. “Israel knows today, and the world should know now that the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel.”
“They want to have a state from the river to the sea. They are saying it loud and clear. It’s now two months after the war started. The Palestinian Authority didn’t condemn this massacre (7 October). It’s such a big problem,” Hotovely added.
When asked about the growing international pressure on Israel to stop its war in Gaza, Hotovely replied: “Ceasefire – no. It just basically means we would like to welcome another attack of 7 October. This is the only thing it means.”
The ambassador highlighted Israel’s efforts to protect civilians, despite intense criticism over the killing of 18,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians, according to Hamas.
“Do you remember any country in the world creating a humanitarian corridor to the enemy? I don’t remember you helping Nazi Germany during the war, and I don’t remember America helping the Japanese during the Second World War.”
Hotovely is the latest senior Israeli figure to reject the idea of a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out allowing Hamas or Fatah rule the Gaza Strip the
“I would like to clarify my position: I will not allow Israel to repeat the mistake of Oslo. After the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism. Gaza will be neither Hamastan nor Fatahstan,” Netanyahu said.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s support for a Palestinian state, in what appeared to be a direct jab at Netanyahu.
“You cannot say there’s no Palestinian state at all in the future. We have to work toward bringing Israel together in a way that provides for the beginning of… a two-state solution,” Biden said on Tuesday.
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