US Insists on Palestinian State for Israel Security and Gaza War Resolution

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday that there is “no way” to solve Israel’s long-term security challenges and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Miller emphasized that Israel has an opportunity right now as countries in the region are ready to provide security assurances to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference that he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel’s security.

Netanyahu added that the lack of Palestinian statehood had not stood in the way of normalization agreements with Arab states a few years ago and that he still intended to add more countries to those accords.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a rough agreement to Israel last week, in which its predominately Muslim neighbors would help rehabilitate Gaza after the war and continue economic integration with Israel, but only if it committed to eventually allowing the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Despite the disagreements, U.S. support for Israel “remains ironclad,” according to Miller.