Peloni: Oslo is dead, the second Palestinian Arab state will die as a stillbirth, and there lies no reason to delay the application of Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.
‘Reward for terror’: Domestic opposition & Israeli leaders slam recognitions
Photo by Alisdare Hickson from Woolwich, United Kingdom – Pro Palestine Protesters and a Helicopter Above Trafalgar Square, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia announced their recognition of the “State of Palestine” on Sunday afternoon, prompting harsh responses from Israeli leaders across the political spectrum.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed in a statement that “There will be no Palestinian state.”
Ahead of his planned trip to the U.N. General Assembly later this week, Netanyahu said Israel’s official response “to the latest attempt to impose a terror state upon us in the heart of our land” would come after his return from the U.S.
“I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are granting a tremendous reward to terror. And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
“For years, I have prevented the establishment of this terror state in the face of immense pressure, both domestic and international… Not only that, we doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria — and we will continue along this path,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the three prime ministers had announced their decision in separate statements within the span of an hour.
Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain, said his recognition was meant to “revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution” and to bring about an “end to the conflict in Gaza.”
He also defended himself against Israeli claims that such a recognition is a reward to Hamas: “Hamas is a brutal terror organization. Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision,” Starmer said, “because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
He added harsh condemnations of Israel’s actions in Gaza, claiming the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths,” and criticizing the Israeli government’s “relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza” and “the starvation and devastation.”
“We recognised the State of Israel, more than 75 years ago, as a homeland for the Jewish people,” said Starmer. “Today, we join over 150 countries that recognise a Palestinian state also — a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.”
The declarations by the UK, Canada and Australia were praised by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: “The United Kingdom’s recognition of the independent State of Palestine” constitutes “an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” Abbas’s office stated.
The declarations were met with strident criticism from their domestic oppositions, as well as the rare, unanimous condemnation from the breadth of the Israeli political spectrum.
In the UK, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, called Starmer’s decision “absolutely disastrous” and warned the kingdom would “rue the day it was made. “Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war,” he charged.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar later called Badenoch to thank her for her support, told her that Israel knows how to distinguish between the people of England and its government, and invited her to visit Israel.
“Most countries in the world have already recognized a Palestinian state in the past. That, of course, was a mistake. But those countries that are doing so now, after October 7th, are making a move that is not only mistaken, but also infuriating and immoral,” Sa’ar said in a statement.
In addition to being a reward to Hamas, he said the decision is also “a reward for the Palestinian Authority, whose actions were recently described by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, explaining how it still upholds the practice of ‘Pay for Slay,’ by paying terrorists, and… encourages terror.”
“The guarantee that a Palestinian state will not be established ultimately lies in the fierce and broad opposition that exists today among the people of Israel, who fully understand the dangers of establishing a terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel,” Sa’ar stated.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said he would propose the cabinet to respond through “the immediate application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the complete dismantling of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also condemned the three governments for their “unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to the fact that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.”
“As families who deeply want peace in the region, we believe that any discussion about recognizing a Palestinian state must be contingent upon the immediate release of all hostages,” the left-leaning forum said.
“Offering such significant political rewards without securing the return of all 48 of our loved ones represents a catastrophic failure of political, moral, and diplomatic leadership that will severely damage efforts to bring them all home.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid agreed that the decision is “a reward for terrorism” but used the occasion to blast the Israeli government for not preventing this “diplomatic disaster.”
“The government that brought upon us the terrible security disaster in our history is now bringing upon us also the most severe diplomatic crisis ever,” he wrote on X.
Centrist Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz noted that the decision also sends “a clear message of support to Iran and its proxies.”
“If advancing peace & stability in the Middle East is what you seek, dear Western Leaders – and not buckling to domestic political pressure, then maximum pressure must be applied to Hamas to relinquish power and return the hostages before anything else,” said Gantz.
Even the far-left Democrats chairman, Yair Golan, called recognizing a Palestinian state “destructive” and “extremely damaging” to Israel, saying that, despite supporting a two-state solution in principle, he wouldn’t endorse it “at this time.”
“We should now be talking about a process centered on separation, with security responsibility in Israel’s hands, a significant and thorough period during which Israel ensures that the other side is capable of upholding a future agreement,” Golan told the radio station 103FM.
Golan was later sharply criticized by the Arab parties and left-wing NGOs for not supporting the three governments’ decision.
Antisemitism comes back with vengeance.
These Western countries embolden jihadism in their own countries! DUMB!
I have just sent an e-mail to the Israeli foreign minister to express my humiliation and shame for Mark Carney’s cowardly ‘recognition’ of a state for Palestinians.
I have also suggested that Israel consider expressing its support for an independent Quebec, based on the criteria the cowardly Carney used as a basis for this disgraceful and cowardly action.
Quebec has a large population of French speaking Muslims from N Africa!
Israel supporters, stop using the self-destructive term “settlements.”
The IL gov must ban officially the use of the term “West Bank”.
Judea & Samaria ONLY!!!
New Rule: From the River to the Sea: Real time with Bill Maher