The UK government on Sunday expressed disappointment over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to Palestinian sovereignty. “I think it’s disappointing actually, to hear that from the Israeli prime minister,” said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps on the Sky News channel.
This comes a day after Netanyahu said that he “will not compromise on full Israeli control” over Gaza and that “this is contrary to a Palestinian state,” rejecting US President Joe Biden’s suggestion that creative solutions could bridge wide gaps between the leaders’ views on Palestinian statehood.
Read More: Rejecting Two-State Solution, Denying Palestinian Statehood ‘Unacceptable’: UN Chief
At the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the right of the Palestinian people to build their own state “must be recognised by all.” “The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable,” the UN leader said on on Saturday in the Ugandan capital Kampala.
Such a stance “would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarisation; and embolden extremists everywhere,” Guterres warned. “The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognised by all.”
Read More: Thousands Rally in Tel Aviv Against Netanyahu’s Government as Gaza War Continues
This comes as thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv calling for new elections, and others demonstrated outside the prime minister’s house, joining families of the more than 100 remaining hostages held by Hamas and other militants. They fear that Israel’s military activity further endangers hostages’ lives.
Netanyahu is also under heat to appease members of his right-wing ruling coalition by intensifying the war against Hamas, which governs Gaza, while contending with calls for restraint from the US. He posted his statement on social media a day after his first conversation with Biden in nearly a month. Discussing his administration’s position Friday, Biden said “there are a number of types of two-state solutions” and, asked if a two-state solution was impossible with Netanyahu in office, Biden replied, “No, it’s not.”
Israel launched its war against Hamas after the militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and saw about 250 others taken hostage. Health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza say Israel’s offensive has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians. One of the most destructive military campaigns in recent history has pulverised much of the territory and displaced more than 80% of its population of 2.3 million people.
(With agency inputs)
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