Defense Minister Israel Katz responded Sunday morning to the U.S. proposal submitted to the United Nations, which includes steps signaling the possible future establishment of a Palestinian state.
“The policy of Israel is clear: no Palestinian state will be established,” Katz wrote. “The IDF will remain on Mount Hermon and in the security zone. Gaza will be demilitarized down to the last tunnel, and Hamas will be disarmed-on the Israeli-controlled side by the IDF, and in old Gaza either by an international force or by the IDF.”
The American proposal states, among other things, that “once the Palestinian Authority’s reform plan is implemented, conditions may be achieved for a path toward self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state. The United States will facilitate dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for coexistence in peace and prosperity.”
The proposal also specifies that alongside the work of an international stabilization force, in coordination with Israel and Egypt to stabilize Gaza and replace Hamas rule and the IDF’s presence there, a Palestinian Arab police force will also operate “to help maintain order along the border.”
