Opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot responded to Prime Minister Netanyahu's warning earlier Sunday, stating that a Palestinian state will not be established under the government he will lead, according to Israel Today.
Opposition frontrunner and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday morning reiterated his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, directly responding to a warning from Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier in the day. Eisenkot stated: 'There is no Palestinian state, and under the government we establish, there will be no Palestinian state,' according to a report by Israel Today.
Netanyahu's warning came at around 10:05 Jerusalem time, in which he cautioned that an opposition-led coalition including Arab parties would compel support for a Palestinian state, reiterating his own position that no Palestinian state controlled by Iran would be established in Gaza or Judea and Samaria while he is prime minister. Eisenkot's response followed shortly afterward.
The exchange builds on a series of statements over the past day. On Saturday, Aug 22, at 20:19 Jerusalem, Netanyahu clarified that no Palestinian state would be established in Judea and Samaria or Gaza. Earlier that same Saturday, at 20:05 Jerusalem, Eisenkot had already pledged that no Palestinian state would be established during his term, in response to a call by Mansour Abbas to establish a Palestinian state, as The Zioneer then reported.
The issue remains central to the current political and security discourse. As The Zioneer has noted, Eisenkot has become a sharp critic of Netanyahu's leadership, yet on this issue the two are in agreement, both preempting any suggestion of territorial concessions. What remains to be seen is how these positions would translate into policy should an opposition government emerge, particularly given Netanyahu's warning about the influence of Arab parties in such a coalition.
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