Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late last night that he rejected any plan for international recognition of a Palestinian state, saying such an initiative would "represent a huge reward to terrorism".
Netanyahu's comments followed similar rejections from influential far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who responded to reports of the plan in The Washington Post.
The newspaper's report, which cited several American and Arab diplomats, said the United States, Israel's main ally, was working with several Arab countries on a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The plan includes a firm timetable for the creation of a Palestinian state, the newspaper reported.
"Israel will continue to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state," Netanyahu said in a post in Hebrew on social media platform X.
"Such a recognition, after the October 7 massacre, would offer a huge reward to unprecedented terrorism and prevent any future peace agreement," he said.
"Israel categorically rejects the international dictates regarding a lasting settlement of the issue with the Palestinians," he added, saying a peace agreement could only be reached as a result of "direct negotiations without preconditions."
The Washington Post reported that the plan would begin with a cease-fire "expected to last at least six weeks," with officials hoping an agreement would be reached before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 10.
The agreement would include a halt to fighting, the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 attack, and a timetable for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.
"We will never agree to such a plan, which says that the Palestinians deserve a reward for the terrible massacre they have committed," Smotrich wrote in X, describing the Palestinian state as "an existential threat to the state of Israel"./BGNES
