PM Netanyahu Rejects Palestinian State, PA Spokesperson: Pushing All Regions Into Abyss, US Responsibility

JAKARTA - A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority (PA) said there would be no security or stability in the Middle East, without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, responding to the Israeli Prime Minister's rejection of the idea.

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday said the idea of forming a Palestinian state would clash with Israel's security, a statement that contradicts the attitude of many countries, including the United States.

"The whole region is on the verge of a volcanic eruption," PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA, as reported by CNN January 19.

He further said that PM Netanyahu's statement showed the Israeli government was "strengthening to push the entire region into a ravine."

Rudeineh also claimed that the US "HELd responsibility for the deteriorating security and stability in the region, due to its blind bias and support for Israel's occupation."

US President Joe Biden has long advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. US officials said on Thursday they would not allow Prime Minister Netanyahu's apparent rejection of the Palestinian state to stop them from suppressing this issue with his Israeli counterparts.

Senior US officials said on Thursday there was no way to resolve Israel's long-term security concerns in the region, as well as short-term challenges in Gaza's rebuilding, without the creation of a Palestinian State.

Speaking at a news conference, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel had a chance at the moment, as countries in the region were ready to provide security guarantees to Israel.

"However, there is no way to resolve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security, and there is no way to resolve short-term challenges in rebuilding Gaza and building government in Gaza and providing security for Gaza, without the creation of a Palestinian state," Miller said.

It is known that negotiations brokered by the US regarding the Palestinian state in the territory now occupied by Israel failed nearly a decade ago.

Despite differences of opinion, US support for its longtime ally Israel, "has remained strong," Miller said.

"It's not about the United States forcing them to do anything. It's about America giving them the opportunity they have," he said.