Defense Minister Israel Katz tells a bipartisan group of visiting US senators that Israel “will never agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state which would endanger its existence.”
In a statement from his office, Katz says he told the group — led by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and including Deputy Mideast Envoy Morgan Ortagus — that Israel’s main priorities are clear: “Preventing Iran attaining a nuclear weapon, releasing the hostages, and eliminating Hamas in Gaza.”
Following that, he says, Israel is seeking to reach a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
Katz tells the group that Trump’s plan for Gaza — in which he suggested the US “take over” the Strip, permanently displace its two million residents and rebuild it as a tourist hub — is “the only one that can guarantee security for the citizens of the south and the State of Israel.”
The other senators in attendance were Democrats Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, Adam Schiff, and Andy Kim, as well as Republicans Joni Ernst, Dan Sullivan, and John Cornyn.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
