Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is proud to have prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, and gave himself all the credit for curbing the Oslo peace process.

These statements by Netanyahu came in the context of a press conference held at the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense [“Kirya”] in Tel Aviv, yesterday evening (Saturday), with the participation of both Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Minister in the Israeli “War Cabinet” Benny Gantz, in which the Prime Minister confirmed the government also opposes the Palestinian Authority’s control of the Gaza Strip, after the end of the war with Hamas, and that it is important not to foster illusions among friends in this regard, in reference to the United States’ desire for the Strip to be governed by a renewed Palestinian authority, after the end of the war.

Netanyahu described the Oslo Accords as a fateful mistake, and said that the results of the small Palestinian state in Gaza, which resulted from the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip in 2005, demonstrated the danger of allowing Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank.

Netanyahu said: “I am very proud that I prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, because everyone realizes today what that Palestinian state could have been, after we saw the small Palestinian state in Gaza. Everyone realizes what would have happened if we had surrendered to international pressure and allowed the establishment of a state like this in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] surrounding Jerusalem, and on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.”

Netanyahu insisted that he inherited the Oslo Accords, and that the decision to bring the Palestine Liberation Organization from Tunisia and plant it in the heart of Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] and in Gaza, was a decision that was taken and implemented, before he became prime minister, and it is a wrong decision.

Netanyahu reiterated that he would not allow the Palestinian Authority to control the Gaza Strip after the war, and said: “I will not allow Hamastan to be replaced by Fatahestan, or Khan Yunis to be replaced by Jenin. I will not allow the State of Israel to return to the disastrous Oslo mistake. The Hamas and Fatah movements do not differ on the desire to destroy Israel, but only on how to do it.” He claimed that there is broad support for his vision of long-term Israeli security control over a demilitarized Gaza. He added that he did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement with the United States in this regard.

The Prime Minister touched on the incident of the killing of 3 kidnapped Israelis by Israeli fire the day before yesterday (Friday), and said that lessons will be drawn from this incident, which reinforced calls in Israel to stop the fighting and reach an agreement to release the kidnapped people.

Netanyahu insisted that the war would continue, and said: “The only solace that the families of the dead soldiers may feel is that the death of their loved ones will not be in vain, by making sure that we will continue fighting until we achieve complete victory.” Hamas demands an end to the fighting and the withdrawal of forces.  The moment we agree, 'Hamas' will triumph, and we are obligated to eliminate this movement and return all the kidnapped."

Netanyahu indicated that he informed US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan of his intention to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated, despite the pressure exerted by the administration of US President Joe Biden to end the high-intensity fighting and significantly narrow the scope of the attack.

He said: “I say again to our friends: We are more determined than ever to continue until the end, until we eliminate Hamas, until we return all our hostages, and until we ensure that there will be no party in Gaza that breeds terrorism and finances terrorism. And by practicing terrorism.”

Defense Minister Gallant also rejected calls to stop the fighting, in light of the killing of the kidnapped people. He said: "The price of war is high, and we pay it every day, but when you know your goals, and when you know that you are fighting for a noble cause, you know that you have to pay the price, and we are ready to continue until we achieve our goals: destroying the Hamas movement, “And eliminate its military and governmental capabilities, and return the kidnapped people to their families.”