Israel Katz calls wishes for a two-state solution “absurd”

British Foreign Minister Cameron nevertheless suggests thinking in this direction. His counterpart from Israel disagrees.

Great Britain wants to bring movement to the Middle East conflict – and initiate a process towards a two-state solution. But in Israel they don’t want to hear about it yet.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz has now dismissed the British move and similar statements from Washington and Berlin.

“It is absolutely absurd that after everything that has happened, Israel is now being told that a two-state solution is the right thing,” Israel Katz told the “Bild” newspaper, Welt TV and “Politico.” Given the fact that Palestinians have killed Jews, Palestinians will not be given the task of being responsible for the safety of Jews in the future. His country will retain responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip for several more years. This will apply “until we are sure that we will no longer be killed by the residents of Gaza,” said Katz.

At the same time, however, the Foreign Minister clearly rejected calls from within his own government for Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war: “That will not happen. The government’s policy is clear, even if individual ministers say otherwise. Israel’s right-wing extremist police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently demanded that Israeli settlers return to the coastal strip. He also called for “encouraging an exodus (of Palestinians).” Only this could prevent another massacre like the one on October 7th.

Hope for cooperation with Arab states

Katz said about the future of the Gaza Strip that a model must be created together with the Arab states and other countries that enables the more than two million Palestinians there to live their lives in a different way than before.

The two-state solution means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. The militant Islamist terrorist organization Hamas also rejects this. It seeks the creation of a Palestinian state in the entire area west of the Jordan River. She wants to destroy the state of Israel.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron had floated the idea of paving the way for the moment to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Such a move would help make a two-state solution an irreversible process, Cameron said. It is necessary to show the Palestinians a “political horizon” in order to end the conflict with Israel. The Palestinians must be shown irreversible progress towards a two-state solution.

The Palestinian ambassador in London, Husam Zomlot, spoke of a historic moment. For the first time, a British Foreign Secretary is considering recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to a peace solution and not as a result of it.

Israel: Retain security responsibility in Gaza for years

In the Middle East conflict, Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz finds clear words on the subject of the two-state solution and the future of Gaza.

In the dispute over a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, Israel’s foreign minister has once again emphasized that his country wants to retain security responsibility in the Gaza Strip for a few more years. This will apply “until we are sure that we will no longer be killed by the residents of Gaza,” said Israel Katz to the “Bild” newspaper, Welt TV and Politico.

With regard to the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th with around 1,200 deaths, Katz said: “The new “Nazis” are Hamas, which must be eliminated.” Israel’s message for Holocaust Remembrance Day this week was: “It must be clear that what happened must not be allowed to happen again.”

Regarding advice from Washington and Berlin, among others, on a two-state solution in the Middle East conflict with the Palestinians, Katz said: “It is absolutely absurd that, after everything that has happened, Israel is now being told that a two-state solution is the right thing.” In view of the fact that Palestinians have killed Jews, Palestinians will not be given the task of being responsible for the safety of Jews in the future.

At the same time, he clearly rejected calls from his own government for Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war: “That won’t happen. The government’s policy is clear, even if individual ministers say otherwise.” Israel will not govern Gaza or decide on Gaza.

Katz went on to say about the future of Gaza that a model must be created together with the Arab states and other countries that would enable the more than two million Palestinians there to live their lives in a different way than before.

The militant Islamist Hamas also rejects a two-state solution, according to which an independent, democratic and demilitarized Palestinian state should exist peacefully alongside Israel. Hamas instead seeks to destroy the state of Israel.

In addition to Germany and the EU, Great Britain and the USA are also pushing for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Israel in the war “more determined than ever”