Netanyahu Vows Response to Recognition of Palestine by Countries
With the endorsement of the United States, an unyielding Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged a response to several nations acknowledging a Palestinian state.
During the weekly government assembly on Sunday, Netanyahu declared that Israel would contest at the UN and other international platforms against the “slanderous propaganda” directed at them, as well as the calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, which he asserted “would jeopardize our existence and represent an absurd reward for terrorism.”
He vowed that the global community “will hear from us on this matter in the coming days,” potentially alluding to internal deliberations on the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu has not disclosed his intentions publicly but mentioned in a video statement on Sunday evening that Israel’s response would follow his meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
Without Trump’s support, Netanyahu faces limited options for Israel’s response. However, with that endorsement—which Netanyahu is clearly indicating he possesses—the Israeli leader feels empowered to act decisively, under the shield of US diplomatic protection.
The Israeli prime minister hinted at part of what lies ahead. He stated that Israel has doubled Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are deemed illegal under international law, “and we will continue on this path.”
For weeks, Israel had accused Western countries of recognizing a Palestinian state solely for domestic political reasons, maintaining that the symbolic gesture wouldn’t alter the reality on the ground. But now that the moment has arrived, Israel is reacting vehemently.
Netanyahu’s far-right allies are urging him to go as far as possible, advocating for Israel to annex the entire West Bank or significant portions of it. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the “only response” is the annexation of the entire West Bank and the removal of the “foolish idea of a Palestinian state from the agenda once and for all.” Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir announced he would propose applying sovereignty at the next government meeting and called for the dismantlement of the Palestinian Authority.
The fact that the UK, Canada, and Australia are considered among Israel’s closest allies did little to temper their indignant reaction or deter their calls for annexation.
Rather than altering Israel’s trajectory, the recognitions have only emboldened the government in its diplomatic struggle with a growing list of Western nations. According to Netanyahu’s perspective, the only country Israel needs is the US, and he has secured the public backing of the Trump administration.
Yet, if the issue of a Palestinian state has revealed the extent of US support for Israel, it has also demonstrated the limits of US influence elsewhere. During a visit to Israel last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned he had spoken with the countries poised to recognize Palestine to dissuade them from the move, describing it as counterproductive.
“I’ve conveyed that to them on multiple occasions,” he stated at a press conference last Monday. However, none of the countries intending to recognize a State of Palestine have altered their stance.
The objective of the recognition is twofold: to end the conflict in Gaza after nearly two years and to support a two-state solution. Yet, both goals appear distant, especially as Israel intensifies the conflict in Gaza and unabashedly expands West Bank settlements, aiming to extinguish the notion of a Palestinian state.
Former Israeli consul general Alon Pinkas predicted that Netanyahu would likely refrain from annexing large portions of the West Bank, if at all.
“Even if he does annex, it’s likely to be a token annexation of some tract of land in Area C that no one is particularly concerned about,” Pinkas told CNN, referring to the area of the West Bank under Israeli security and civil control.
Israel had “ample warning time” to prepare for the recognition of a Palestinian state, Pinkas noted, and to explore steps to persuade the countries to pursue alternative options. “You had enough time for a diplomatic campaign, complemented by alleviating the humanitarian situation in Gaza to demonstrate good faith and goodwill,” Pinkas remarked. But Israel failed to do that.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu and the countries recognizing a Palestinian state collectively.
“The same government that has brought upon us the gravest security disaster in our history is now also bringing upon us the most severe diplomatic crisis ever,” he declared on X.
