There is “no way” to solve Israel’s long-term security challenges in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.
Speaking at a news briefing, Miller said Israel had an opportunity right now as countries in the region were ready to provide security assurances to Israel.
“But there is no way to solve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza and providing security for Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference he had told Washington that he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel’s security.
Bibi’s only insisting upon that point because there is literally no such thing in reality: there is NO arrangement between warring neighbors that can guarantee “security” apart from the willingness of the participants themselves to stand down. And even if there were, he’d never agree to it anyway. (Nor would Hamas, off in their Qatari penthouses watching from afar.)
Plus, of all the participants who would have to agree to stand down, Israel seems to be the biggest force and the side waging the most active battle of the war. That’s problematic, because why would any of the weaker participants stop fighting when the biggest force has no intention of doing so? Israel would have to stand down first before any of the rest, for the détente to be taken seriously by anyone else involved.
Thus, by demanding the impossible and refusing to settle for anything less, Bibi maintains the status quo (and his own power, as well as that of Hamas). Corrupt authoritarian asshole.