Israeli ministers slam reported peace plan for Palestinian state

AFP | Jerusalem                                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Two powerful Israeli far-right ministers yesterday slammed a reported US peace plan with its Arab allies for a Gaza truce which lays the foundation for a Palestinian state.

The Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden's administration and a small group of Arab nations are working out a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It includes a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the report said.

"An initial ceasefire, projected to be at least six weeks, would provide time to make the plan public, recruit additional support and take the initial steps toward its implementation, including the formation of an interim Palestinian government," the report said quoting unnamed US and Arab officials.

Planners hope an agreement that would include the release of hostages can be reached before March 10 when the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is expected to begin, it said. But the proposal was slammed by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both extreme-right settlers living in the occupied West Bank.

"We will in no way agree to this plan, which actually says that the Palestinians deserve a reward for the terrible massacre they committed," Smotrich wrote on social media platform X, referring to the October 7 attack by Hamas. "A Palestinian state is an existential threat to the State of Israel as was proven on October 7."

Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories of West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem are seen as a major barrier to a peace deal. "1,400 are murdered and the world wants to give them a state. Not going to happen," wrote Ben Gvir on X. "The establishment of a Palestinian state means the establishment of a Hamas state."