Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected reports of Israeli weakness or withdrawals on multiple fronts, declaring that Israel remains determined to protect its security interests and will not accept a Palestinian state in either Gaza or Judea and Samaria.
Speaking at the start of the Government meeting, Netanyahu said Iran has refrained from attacking Israel because it knows the consequences of doing so.
“You have surely noticed an interesting point: Iran attacks all the countries in the region, and even outside the region, but there is one country it does not attack – the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said the comments came amid what he described as “a wave of rumors about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts.”
AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly supports Prime Minister Netanyahu’s unequivocal rejection of the 15-point Board of Peace proposal and his refusal to permit the creation of either a “Hamastan” or “Fatahstan.” Israel must not be pressured into accepting arrangements that would leave a terrorist organization—or the Palestinian Authority, whose leadership has failed to demonstrate a genuine commitment to Israel’s security—in control of Gaza or Judea and Samaria.
Most importantly, Netanyahu’s insistence that there will be no IDF withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely and completely disarmed reflects the fundamental lesson of October 7: Israeli security cannot be based on promises, paper agreements, or fictitious disarmament. Israel must retain the freedom and capability to eliminate threats wherever they emerge.
AFSI also welcomes Netanyahu’s clear declaration that a Palestinian state will not be established in Gaza or Judea and Samaria. After decades of failed diplomatic formulas and the continuing Palestinian commitment to terrorism and rejection of Israel, creating another hostile state next to Israel would endanger the Jewish state rather than bring peace. Israel’s security interests must remain non-negotiable—even when standing firm requires disagreeing with its closest allies.