Top Netanyahu confidant Dermer says Israel hasn’t pledged to accept Palestinian state in talks on Saudi ties
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"

Israel has made no commitment regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state within the context of talks on potential normalization with Saudi Arabia, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer tells lawmakers.
“There is no promise regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, at all,” Dermer declares from the Knesset rostrum.
This is believed to be the first time that Dermer, who is not an MK, has spoken in the Knesset plenum since his swearing-in as a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet in December 2022. He rarely gives public statements in general.
Turning to Gaza, the key Netanyahu confidant says the government is working on a plan for the postwar governance of Gaza and stresses the need to “engage both the United States and the powers in the region” to ensure the management of the enclave “according to the framework set by the prime minister.”
“We will talk less and do more,” he asserts.
Regarding Lebanon, Dermer states that Israel has “the ability to enforce any violation and will do what is necessary to maintain the security of the residents of the north,” who have borne the brunt of terror group Hezbollah’s missile attacks.