Netanyahu Statements:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reaffirmed his position on the war in Gaza in a televised news conference where he said that he had informed the U.S. that he would seek to have no Palestinian state in existence after the war and that he wants complete and absolute victory against Hamas before the conflict ends.

Netanyahu said that Israel must have control of everything “west of the Jordan River” in his statement; additionally, he said the lack of a Palestinian state he did not think would stand in the way of normalizing relations between nearby Arab-majority countries and Israel.

“I clarify that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future, with an accord or without an accord, Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That’s a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty but what can you do,” Netanyahu said.

U.S Government Reaction:

U.S State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller responded by saying, “there is no way to solve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza and providing security for Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Regardless of the row between the two nations over the conflict, the U.S.’s support for Israel “remains ironclad,” Miller also said. “This is not a question of the United States pressuring them to do anything. This is about the United States laying out for them the opportunity that they have.”

Netanyahu’s comments came only a day after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel wouldn’t have security in the region unless a path towards Palestinian independence was established. The White House echoed this sentiment earlier this week when they said in a statement that it was the right time for Israel to decrease the destructive level of attacks in Gaza that have led to tens of thousands killed and injured.

Israel-Hamas War Casualties Rise:

Gaza health officials and authorities in Hamas-controlled areas have said the Palestinian death toll has topped 24,000, with over 61,000 injured, of which 9,000 and 8,000 are children, respectively. Additionally, 80% of the population of Gaza has also been displaced by the conflict. Razing and total decimation of many neighborhoods have been seen as a result of Israeli airstrikes and ground operations against Hamas or claimed Hamas targets, many of which have included significant non-combantant and civilian casualties. Over 2 million people are at risk of famine, and clean water is scarce in the south and nonexistent in the north. Israeli hostages held by Hamas are reported by Israel to number around 130, after 100 were released so far after negotiations were made for aid supplies into Gaza and ceasefires. Israeli casualties stand at 1,200 reported dead from the conflict, with 1,162 identified, including 33 children, and 5,400 injured, many of which were inflicted during the October 7th Hamas attack.