Israeli Foreign Minister Says There Is No Palestinian State Under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett

Menteri Luar Negeri Israel Yair Lapid. (Wikimedia Commons / Sapphire Academic College)

JAKARTA - The agreement for a two-state resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be concluded, by the Israeli government currently led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

"There is no agreement for these (two states) within the government," Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told Channel 11, citing The Jerusalem Post Friday, August 20.

"Two countries will not occur in the composition (rotation) of this government," he explained, adding that he himself thought this condition was the best resolution for the conflict.

When asked if this will change after a government rotation, when he will succeed Naftali Bennett as prime minister, Lapid implied a possibility.

"Could be," said Lapid. "I want to separate from Palestine," he explained, adding.

"I have no interest in ruling over 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip or 2.9 million in Judea and Samaria," Lapid said.

In an interview with Channel 13, Lapid also highlighted the differences between his position on the issue and Naftali Bennett's.

"I believe two countries for two people, the Prime Minister does not believe," said Lapid.

The Israeli Foreign Minister further clarified, from the start it was understood that this government was designed more for domestic issues. However, there is an agreement not to take action to prevent future action on the Palestinian front.

Lapid gave extensive interviews to Channels 11, 12 and 13. He briefly touched on the Israeli-Palestinian front, before PM Bennett's meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington DC, next week which also includes talks on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

It should be noted that PM Bennett, who heads the far-right Yamina Party and former director general of Yesha, has clearly not supported the idea of a Palestinian state in the past.

However, his coalition includes parties that support a two-state resolution to the conflict, such as Lapid's Yesh Atid Party.