Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the possible recognition of a Palestinian state by the United States and stressed that it would be a reward for the Hamas terrorists who massacred Israeli civilians on October 7.
According to an Axios report, Netanyahu was in a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he stressed that any form of recognition, whether direct or indirect, "would be a prize for those who planned and orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre."
The Israeli prime minister's warning came after it emerged that Blinken asked the State Department to present policy options for possible US and international recognition of a Palestinian state after the war. This, as part of a diplomatic strategy to address the conflict in Gaza.
“Some inside the Biden Administration are now thinking recognition of a Palestinian state should possibly be the first step in negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of the last,” said a senior US official. The White House is also evaluating this option in an attempt to promote the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials have stressed that any eventual peace agreement would be conditional on the recognition of Palestine as a state.
The United States and Israel continue to work together
Despite disagreements, the United States continues to work with Israel to jointly address the threats both countries face following the Hamas attack. Recently, Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), traveled to Israel to meet with officials from the Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency), the Shin Bet (Israeli equivalent of the FBI), and the Israel National Police.
“The FBI's partnership with our Israeli counterparts is long-standing, close and robust. Whenever we meet and talk, these are deeply substantive conversations across a whole range of common threats between countries,” Wray stated after the meetings.
