US says 'no way' to solve Gaza conflict without Palestinian state

GAZA:

There is "no way" to solve Israel's long-term security challenges in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state, said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip has led to increasing international alarm and scrutiny over the deaths of civilians, especially children. Gaza health authorities said on Thursday the war's death toll had risen to 24,620, with many more feared buried under the rubble.

Speaking at a news briefing, Miller said Israel had an opportunity right now as countries in the region were ready to provide security assurances to Israel.

"But there is no way to solve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza and providing security for Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state."

The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference he had told Washington that he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel's security.

"I clarify that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future, with an accord or without an accord, Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That's a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty but what can you do," Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv.

He added that the lack of Palestinian statehood had not stood in the way of normalisation agreements with Arab states a few years ago and that he still intended to add more countries to those accords.

Israel and its biggest backer the United States appear at odds now, with Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition government largely rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state even though Washington maintains that the two-state solution is the only feasible way to bring lasting peace to the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his fourth trip to the Middle East last week since the Oct. 7, took a rough agreement to Israel that its predominately Muslim neighbours would help rehabilitate Gaza after the war and continue economic integration with Israel, but only if it committed to eventually allowing the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

US-brokered talks on a Palestinian state in the territory now occupied by Israel collapsed almost a decade ago.

Despite the disagreements, US support for longtime ally Israel "remains ironclad," Miller said.

"This is not a question of the United States pressuring them to do anything. This is about the United States laying out for them the opportunity that they have."

Mexico, Chile refer Gaza conflict to ICC over potential crimes

Mexico and Chile expressed "growing worry" over "an escalation of violence" after several months of war between Israel and Hamas in a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over possible crimes.

In a statement, Mexico's foreign ministry argued that the ICC was the proper forum to establish potential criminal responsibility, "whether committed by agents of the occupying power or the occupied power."

"The action by Mexico and Chile is due to growing worry over the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets," it said.

Israel is not a member of the Hague-based court and does not recognise its jurisdiction. But the ICC's prosecutor has stressed his court has jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by Israelis in Gaza.

Mexico cited "numerous reports from the United Nations that detail many incidents that could constitute crimes under the ICC's jurisdiction."

A picture taken from southern Israel on the border with the Gaza Strip shows shows Israeli army vehicles driving on a road in Gaza. PHOTO: AFP

Chile's Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren told reporters on Thursday in Santiago that his nation was "interested in supporting the investigation into any possible war crime" wherever they might occur.

Mexico said it was closely following the case presented last week before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which South Africa accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza and demanded that the court order an emergency suspension of Israel's military campaign.

Israel has rejected the accusation.

Both the ICJ and the ICC handle cases of alleged genocide, with the former resolving disputes between states and the latter prosecuting individuals for crimes.