Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement released May 7th, 2024. (GPO)
‘Evil cannot be given a state’ – Israeli prime minister blasts Ireland, Norway, and Spain for recognizing unilateral Palestinian statehood.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the governments of Spain, Norway, and Ireland on Wednesday, after the three states announced their plans to recognize unilateral Palestinian statehood, without a final status agreement with Israel.
In a video statement released Wednesday afternoon, the prime minister called the move, coming seven and a half months after the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7th, a “reward for terrorism,” and cited polls suggesting strong support for the October 7th atrocities among Arab residents of Judea and Samaria.
“The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terrorism,” Netanyahu said.
“Eighty percent of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the terrible massacre of October 7. This evil cannot be given a state.”
“This would be a terrorist state. It will try to repeat the massacre of October 7 again and again; we will not consent to this.”
“Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas.”
Netanyahu’s comments echoed a tweet by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz (Likud): “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays.”
In response to the announcement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassadors to the three countries in question, as a sign of protest against the decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.
The U.S., Germany, and France all distanced themselves from the announcement, calling instead for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“The president is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career,” a White House National Security Council official told CNN.
“He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition.”
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