The Lapid government’s actions show that it is working to sabotage the two-state solution, a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post. No mention was made of Palestinian responsibility.
By World Israel News Staff
Following Prime Minister Lapid’s address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, in which he stated Israel’s desire for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Palestinian Authority officials said that in reality, his government is working to sabotage any such agreement, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The officials acknowledged that the premier’s speech was a “step in the right direction,” but added that it “needs to be followed up with real measures.” In fact, his government’s actions show that it is working to sabotage the two-state solution, a senior PA official told the Post.
“The daily [military] raids, arrests and killings in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] show that this government is not different than previous ones,” the official said, likely referring to the continuation of Operation Wave Breaker, in which the IDF has been conducting counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria – largely in terror hotbeds like Jenin – to combat a wave of terror that began several months ago and claimed several innocent lives.
“And don’t forget the ongoing construction and expansion of the settlements, which threaten to end the two-state solution,” he added.
The official told the Post that talk about a two-state solution is meaningless unless accompanied by significant measures.
The Palestinians were nonetheless encouraged by the support for a two-state solution by the international community, another official told the Post. Indeed, it was that encouragement that enraged Israelis opposed to a two-state solution.
According to former prime minister and current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, “after the right-wing government led by me removed the Palestinian state from the world agenda, after we brought four historic peace agreements with Arab countries that bypassed the Palestinian veto, Lapid is bringing the Palestinians back to the forefront of the world stage and putting Israel right into the Palestinian hole.”
Other right-wing politicians warn that Lapid’s talk will encourage more violence from the Palestinians. “We will find ourselves again with buses exploding and terror attacks all over the country,” Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich warned.
Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that establishing a “terror state in Judea and Samaria would endanger Israel’s safety and that most Israeli people and their representatives – contrary to Lapid’s claim that the majority of Israelis are in favor of a Palestinian state – will not allow that to happen.”