Photo: Reuters
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday dismissed the idea of establishing a Palestinian state as a "realistic" objective, amid the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip. "I don't believe this stance is realistic today, and we must be pragmatic," the recently appointed minister stated in response to a query about the potential creation of a Palestinian state in return for normalizing relations between Israel and Arab nations. Saar further asserted that a Palestinian state would essentially be "a Hamas state," referring to the Palestinian group in Gaza with which Israel has been engaged in conflict for over a year. The normalization initiative was part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, orchestrated by Donald Trump, and the process could potentially resume if he reclaims the White House following the recent US presidential election. While Saar spoke in Jerusalem, Arab and Muslim leaders convened in Saudi Arabia for a summit addressing the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel is also battling Hamas ally Hezbollah. The Saudi foreign ministry revealed plans for the summit in late October during a meeting in Riyadh of a new "international alliance" aimed at advocating for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Gaza conflict ignited on October 7 last year, following an attack on Israel that resulted in 1,206 fatalities, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP compilation of Israeli official data. Israel's relentless bombardment has claimed the lives of over 43,603 people in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and similarly supported by Iran, commenced firing on Israel following the October 7 attack. The frequent cross-border exchanges intensified in late September when Israel escalated its air strikes and deployed ground troops into southern Lebanon.
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