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Saturday, November 15, 2025
Smotrich, Ben Gvir demand Netanyahu ‘make it clear’ Palestinian state won’t be established
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies call on him to make a clear public statement that Israel will never accept the establishment of a Palestinian state, following the release of a US-organized joint statement by several nations asserting that President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war offers a pathway to Palestinian statehood.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make it clear to the entire world” that “a Palestinian state will never be established,” arguing that the premier’s “silence” on this issue has been a “diplomatic disgrace.”
“Two months ago, immediately after several countries announced their unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, you committed to respond decisively on the matter as soon as you returned from the United States. Since then, as mentioned, two months have passed during which you chose silence and a diplomatic disgrace. The deterioration we are now witnessing regarding this issue is dangerous and is your responsibility due to your silence,” tweets the far-right politician.
“Formulate immediately an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world [that] a Palestinian state will never be established on the territory of our homeland,” he declares.
In a separate statement, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir insists that “there is no such thing as a ‘Palestinian people'” and that “they certainly do not deserve a reward for the terror, murder, and atrocities they have sown everywhere, especially from Gaza — the place where they received self-rule.”
“The only real solution in Gaza is to encourage voluntary emigration, and certainly not a reward-state for terror, which would serve as a base for continued terrorism,” Ben Gvir states, asserting that his ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party “will not be part of any government that agrees to this.”
“I call on the prime minister to make it clear that the State of Israel will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in any form,” he adds.
In a joint statement arranged by the US on Friday, multiple countries working toward an end to the Gaza conflict voiced backing for Washington’s UN Security Council resolution to establish an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, amid pushback from Russia and China.
The statement, supported by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey, noted that the process “offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
“We emphasize that this is a sincere effort, and the Plan provides a viable path towards peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region,” the joint statement continued. We are looking forward to this resolution’s swift adoption.”
Jacob Magid and Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.