Netanyahu denies agreeing to Palestinian statehood in talks with Saudi Arabia

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that he would not permit the establishment of a Palestinian state, rejecting reports that Israel had agreed to a “path toward Palestinian statehood” as part of efforts to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has acted and continues to act against the establishment of a Palestinian state,” his office said on Tuesday in a statement, describing the reports as “completely false”.

The statement added that such a move would “endanger Israel’s security”.

Israeli media earlier reported that a concession on Palestinian statehood was being considered as part of ongoing negotiations for a normalisation agreement with Saudi Arabia, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Saudis also strongly deny the report, saying there has been no breakthrough.

“The notion that the kingdom’s leadership has somehow modified its longstanding commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is equally baseless,” a statement issued to reporters by an unnamed Saudi official said.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work towards ending the war in Gaza and helping the Palestinian people achieve their right to an independent state,” the statement added.

Netanyahu, who has long regarded formal ties with the kingdom as a key strategic objective, dismissed the reports.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in those territories.

Netanyahu’s comments come amid mounting international criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in October.

The offensive has drawn global condemnation, with Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials facing war crimes accusations at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Netanyahu has instead floated the idea of Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia contributing to the administration of Gaza after the war. However, those countries and others in the region have repeatedly said that they would not take part in the post-war management or reconstruction of Gaza without the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) involvement.

The US and Israel’s security establishment have warned that a failure to advance a viable alternative to Hamas rule, such as the PA, will allow the terror group to re-fill vacuums temporarily created by IDF operations in Gaza.

IANS