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Lapid: Palestinian state won’t happen while Bennett leads gov’t

Coalition agreements don’t call for creation of Palestinian state, Lapid says.

By David Hellerman, World Israel News

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that a Palestinian state won’t happen while Naftali Bennett is prime minister under a rotational governing agreement.

Interviewed by Israel’s Channel 11 on Thursday, Lapid said, “There is no agreement for this [two-states] within the government,” explaining that the coalition was primarily created to address domestic issues.

Two-states “won’t happen within this composition [rotation] of the government,” Lapid explained.

Lapid, who is also the alternate prime minister, is due to become Prime Minister in August, 2023 under the terms of his rotational agreement with Bennett. Asked if a Palestinian state might be formed under his own premiership, Lapid said, “It could be.”

Lapid stressed that he himself believes that a two-state outcome for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible, saying, “I want to separate from the Palestinians. I don’t have any interest in ruling over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza or 2.9 million in Judea and Samaria.”

On how he differs from Bennett, Lapid said, “I believe in two-states for two people, the Prime Minister doesn’t believe in it.”

The interview came one week ahead of Bennett’s visit to the White House.