Israel’s president has joined the ranks of high-ranking Israeli officials to speak out against a two-state solution after the war in Gaza. In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Isaac Herzog said it is not the time to be talking about establishing an independent Palestinian state when the country’s pain from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack is still fresh.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross during a meeting Thursday to discuss the fate of over 100 Israeli hostages believed to be in Hamas captivity.
Quick Read
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in a recent interview with The Associated Press, has expressed opposition to discussing a two-state solution in the immediate aftermath of the war in Gaza. This stance aligns him with other high-ranking Israeli officials who have spoken against the concept following the conflict.
- Herzog emphasized the need to address the emotional trauma and security concerns of the Israeli people before considering peace negotiations or talks about dividing the land with the Palestinians.
- His comments come ahead of a scheduled meeting with Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser. The Biden administration has indicated a desire to renew efforts for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, led by the Palestinian Authority, after the war.
- Despite Herzog’s current role being largely ceremonial, he is a former leader of Israel’s Labor Party, historically an advocate for a two-state solution.
- The Israeli response to the October 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in significant casualties and hostage-taking, has led to Israeli leaders generally opposing the restart of peace talks and denying any role for the Palestinian Authority.
- Herzog predicted that the Israeli campaign in northern Gaza might conclude within weeks, but he refrained from specifying an end date for the overall war. He reiterated Israel’s goal to continue its military efforts until Hamas’ military and political capabilities are dismantled.
- Herzog also voiced support for a U.S.-led coalition aimed at protecting the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Israel will not contribute its own ships to this coalition, focusing instead on the conflict in Gaza.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross, emphasized the need for more public pressure on Hamas regarding over 100 Israeli hostages held since the October 7 attack.
The Associated Press has the story:
Ahead of meeting with Sullivan, Israel’s Herzog: ‘Now isn’t time to discuss 2-state solution’
Newslooks- JERUSALEM (AP)
Israel’s president has joined the ranks of high-ranking Israeli officials to speak out against a two-state solution after the war in Gaza.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Isaac Herzog said it is not the time to be talking about establishing an independent Palestinian state when the country’s pain from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack is still fresh.
“What I want to urge is against just saying two-state solution. Why? Because there is an emotional chapter here that must be dealt with. My nation is bereaving. My nation is in trauma,” said Herzog.
“In order to get back to the idea of dividing the land, of negotiating peace or talking to the Palestinians, etc., one has to deal first and foremost with the emotional trauma that we are going through and the need and demand for full sense of security for all people,” he said.
Herzog spoke a day before a meeting with the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The Biden administration has said that after the war, efforts must be renewed to restart negotiations aimed at establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial, is a former leader of Israel’s Labor Party, which advocates a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
But in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered Israel’s war in Gaza, Israeli leaders have spoken out against attempts to restart peace talks after the war and ruled out any role for the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the Oct. 7 attack and 240 others were taken hostage. Israel immediately declared war, carrying out weeks of airstrikes and a ground offensive in which over 18,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Health Ministry in the Gaza territory.
With the U.S. pushing for a timetable from Israel, Herzog predicted the Israeli campaign in hard-hit northern Gaza could wrap up within weeks. But he declined to say when the war would end.
Israel has ducked international calls for a ceasefire, saying it will press ahead until it dismantles Hamas’ military and political capabilities.
“I think one can see that in the northern part of Gaza, one can see the horizon,” Herzog said. “We can see the end of that campaign, not far away in the next few weeks.”
He added that the end of the campaign in the south would only come when Hamas was “completely eradicated.”
Herzog also spoke in favor of an emerging U.S.-led coalition to protect the Red Sea from the Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have carried out a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and also launched drones and missiles targeting Israel. In recent days, they have threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel.
The coalition, set to be formally announced next week, is composed of U.S. and European allies, and aims to protect international shipping from the Houthi attacks. Israel will not be contributing its own ships to the coalition, Israeli officials told The Associated Press, preferring to allow the international community to target the issue and focus on the war in Gaza.
“I demand and I call upon all nations who understand this to join the coalition, which is led by the United States of America, to fight against the Houthis and make it clear that this is unacceptable and won’t be repeated again,” said Herzog.
NETANYAHU SAYS RED CROSS SHOULD PRESSURE HAMAS INTO ALLOWING OFFICIALS TO CHECK ON HOSTAGES
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross during a meeting Thursday to discuss the fate of over 100 Israeli hostages believed to be in Hamas captivity.
Netanyahu called on Mirjana Spoljaric to put more public pressure on Hamas, which has refused to allow the Red Cross to visit the hostages or deliver medicines to them. The hostages were captured in an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.
Spoljaric has publicly called on Hamas to allow visits to the hostages and to release them immediately. She is in Israel meeting the country’s leaders and relatives of the captive Israelis.
“You have every avenue, every right and every expectation to place public pressure… on Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a video of the meeting released by his office.
“It’s not going to work,” Spoljaric replied, saying public pressure would only harden Hamas’ positions.
“Well I’m not sure about that,” Netanyahu said.
“Yes, they would,” Spoljaric replied.
“Well, why don’t you try,” Netanyahu responded.
Earlier, Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said: “If the Red Cross does not carry out its mission of providing life support and giving medicines to the kidnapped, it has no right to exist, and this is our demand from the Red Cross.”
