Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz considered on Wednesday that the solution to the situation in the occupied West Bank is to have a "Palestinian self-administration", with Israel controlling "security and foreign affairs".

This is the latest arrangement revealed by the right-wing Israeli government, which confirmed through a declaration issued by the Knesset (parliament) by a large majority last July, its rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Katz claimed, in a statement received by Anadolu Agency, that "the election of Yahya Sinwar as leader of Hamas must send a clear message to the world that the Palestinian issue is now completely under the control of Iran and Hamas".

Yesterday, Wednesday, Hamas announced the selection of Sinwar as head of its political bureau, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in a bombing that targeted his residence during a visit to Tehran at the end of last July.

While Iran and Hamas accused Tel Aviv of assassinating Haniyeh, the latter remained silent, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at his country's responsibility for the assassination.

Katz claimed that “without Israeli action in Gaza, the entire area will fall under Hamas control.”

With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has resulted in more than 131,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children.

Katz also claimed that “the Palestinian Authority is only surviving (in the West Bank) thanks to intensive Israeli military operations against the infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are supported and promoted by Iran,” according to his expression.

In parallel with its war on Gaza, Israel has escalated its attacks on the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, killing 620 Palestinians, wounding 5,400, and arresting 10,000, according to official Palestinian data.

Katz believed that “the solution is Palestinian self-administration in the West Bank, which allows the Palestinians to manage their lives themselves.”

He added: "Israel must maintain control over security and foreign affairs to prevent the establishment of another stronghold for Iranian extremists, and enable the Palestinians to manage their internal affairs," he said.

As of 11:20 GMT, there was no comment from the Palestinian Authority on Katz's statement.

The Palestinians demand the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders before the 1967 war, with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel.

While Israel rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite the increasing international recognition of this state, and the United Nations' confirmation in its resolutions to address the conflict according to the principle of the two-state solution.

Sama