Netanyahu ‘will not compromise’ on Israeli control of Gaza as protests mount

The Israeli prime minister rejected US President Joe Biden’s suggestion that creative solutions could bridge wide gaps between the leaders’ views on Palestinian statehood.

In a sign of the pressures Mr Netanyahu’s government faces at home, thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv calling for new elections, and others demonstrated outside the prime minister’s home, joining families of the more than 100 remaining hostages held by Hamas and other militants.

They fear that Israel’s military activity further endangers hostages’ lives.

Mr Netanyahu is also under pressure to appease members of his right-wing ruling coalition by intensifying the war against Hamas, which governs Gaza while contending with calls for restraint from the United States, its closest ally.

Mr Netanyahu posted his statement on social media a day after his first conversation with Mr Biden in nearly a month.

Discussing his administration’s position on Friday, Mr Biden said “there are a number of types of two-state solutions” and, asked if a two-state solution was impossible with Mr Netanyahu in office, Mr Biden replied: “No, it’s not.”

After Mr Netanyahu’s statement, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the United States to go further.

“It is time for the United States to recognise the state of Palestine, not just talk about a two-state solution,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable”.

Speaking in Uganda, he said the refusal would “indefinitely prolong” the conflict.

Mr Netanyahu has said Israel must fight until it achieves “complete victory” and Hamas no longer poses a threat but has not outlined how this will be accomplished.

But a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot, has called a ceasefire the only way to secure the hostages’ release, a comment that implied criticism of Israel’s current strategy.

Critics have accused Mr Netanyahu of preventing a Cabinet-level debate about a post-war scenario for Gaza. They say he is stalling to prevent conflict within his coalition.

Israel launched its war against Hamas after the militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in Israel and saw about 250 others taken hostage.

Health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza say Israel’s offensive has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The offensive, one of the most destructive military campaigns in recent history, has pulverised much of the territory and displaced more than 80% of its population of 2.3 million people. An Israeli blockade that allows only a trickle of aid into Gaza has led to widespread hunger and outbreaks of disease, United Nations officials said.

Mr Netanyahu has insisted that the only way to secure the hostages’ return is by crushing Hamas through military means.

More than 100 hostages, mostly women and children, were released during a brief November ceasefire in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel.

Israel has said that more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza but only about 100 are believed to be alive.

The protest outside Mr Netanyahu’s home in the coastal town of Caesarea grew, with police pushing a few people away, sparking arguments.

“We can’t take it any more. We’ve been told to sit quiet, let the government do its job. Well, it’s not bringing us any result for the last two months,” said Yuval Bar On, whose father-in-law, Keith Siegel, is among the hostages.

The protest began on Friday when the father of a 28-year-old held by Hamas began what he called a hunger strike.

Eli Shtivi pledged to eat only a quarter of a pita a day — the amount some hostages reportedly receive some days — until the prime minister agrees to meet him.

Dozens of anti-war protesters gathered in the Israeli city of Haifa to protest against Israel’s offensive, carrying signs reading “Stop genocide”, and scuffling with police who tried to confiscate the placards. Police made one arrest.

As part of its search for the hostages, Israel’s military dropped leaflets on Gaza’s southernmost town of Rafah. The leaflets, with photos of dozens of hostages, carried a message suggesting benefits for anyone who spoke up.

“You want to return home? Please report if you identified one of them,” the message read.