Israeli leader insists there can be no Palestinian state, ahead of UN vote leaving that door open

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state, a day before the U.N. Security Council will vote on a U.S.-drafted resolution on Gaza that leaves the door open to Palestinian independence.

Netanyahu has long ruled out Palestinian independence, asserting that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders. But as the U.S. attempts to push forward with its Gaza ceasefire proposal, he faces heavy international pressure to show flexibility.

The Security Council is expected to vote on a U.S. proposal for a U.N. mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza despite opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries.

The U.S., under pressure from countries expected to contribute troops to the force, revised the resolution with stronger language about Palestinian self-determination. It now says that President Donald Trump’s plan may create a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood. A rival Russian proposal uses even stronger language in favor of Palestinian statehood.

The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict for the long term.

Netanyahu’s hard-line governing partners have urged him to take a tough stand on the calls for Palestinian independence. Speaking to his Cabinet, Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s opposition to a Palestinian state has “not changed one bit.”

The Israeli leader added that he has been staving off any advances toward a Palestinian state for decades, and is not threatened by external or internal pressure. “I do not need affirmations, tweets, or lectures from anyone,” he said.

That pressure increased during the war in Gaza. In September, after the U.K., Australia and Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state, Netanyahu blasted the countries for proffering a “prize” to Hamas.

Netanyahu on Sunday also noted that Trump’s plan calls for Gaza to be demilitarized and Hamas to be disarmed. “Either this will happen the easy way or it will happen the hard way,” he said.

The Israeli leader also made his first public comments about a surge in attacks by Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying the violence was the work of a small minority. Palestinians and human rights groups say the violence has been widespread and accused the government of turning a blind eye.

Palestinian health officials said Sunday a 19-year-old Palestinian man was killed by Israeli military fire. He was the seventh person to be killed in the West Bank in the past two weeks by Israeli fire. The spike in violence has been accompanied by a surge in settler attacks.

The Israeli military said it was operating in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, early Sunday when the man hurled an explosive device at the soldiers, who fired in response and killed him.

In addition to Sunday’s clashes, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said six teenagers – aged 15 to 17 – were shot and killed by Israeli fire in four separate incidents over the past two weeks.

On Sunday, Netanyahu cast settler violence as the work of a few extremists. But Palestinians and rights groups say the settler violence is carried out by settlers with impunity from Israel’s far-right government. Settler leaders and their allies hold top positions in Netanyahu’s government, including the Cabinet ministers who oversee the national police force and West Bank settlement policies.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week said there’s concern that the events in the West Bank “could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.”

U.N. Human Rights Commissioner spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan has said the U.N. recorded more than 260 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank in October, more than in any month since 2006.