Netanyahu Vows “Strong Measures” Amid rising Settler Violence in Westโข Bank
Jerusalem โค- Israeliโค Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today he will take “strong measures” to curb escalating violence โby Israeli settlers against Palestinians in โthe West Bank, โfollowing mounting international pressure and condemnation. The declarationโ comesโข as โคtensions โremain high in the region, notably in the wake ofโ discussions surrounding potential โpost-conflict governance in Gaza and theโ future of a Palestinian state.
the moveโฃ signals aโฃ potential shift in response to settler attacks, which have considerably increased sence the start ofโข the Israel-Hamas war. While details of the “strong measures” remain unspecified, Netanyahu’sโ statement aims to address concerns raised โขby allies, including theโ United States, and quell internal criticism from within his coalition government. This development occurs against a backdrop of ongoingโค efforts toโ secureโค a broader middle east โpeace โplan, supported โคby nations including Egypt, Qatar, the Unitedโค Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and turkey, โwhichโฃ proposes “a path to Palestinian self-determinationโฃ and statehood” – a concept โฃfirmly โขrejectedโ by Netanyahu.
Netanyahu reiterated hisโ long-standingโ opposition to a Palestinian state west of the โฃJordanโ River, stating, “our opposition toโ a Palestinian state on any territory west ofโ theโฃ (River) Jordan remains,โ is valid and hasโ notโค changed โฃone bit,” according to โคa statementโค from his office. “I have rejectedโ such attempts for decades, and โฃI do so against both external pressure and pressure fromโ within. So I don’t need protestations, tweets or lectures from anyone.” Defence minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have also affirmed that Israel will not concede toโ the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Theโค international community โขcontinues to push for a resolution โคto the conflict,with the G-7 nations calling for the โrapid establishment of โa UN Security Council-mandated peaceโค plan for the Gaza Strip. This plan envisions, in โฃa second phase, the disarmament โฃof Hamas, stabilization through an international military force,โฃ and a transitional government comprised of Palestinian technocrats.