The Biden administration and the Israeli government diverge sharply over how Gaza should be governed when the war ends.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday appeared to rule out a postwar peace process that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, rebuffing calls from the United States and others to start working toward that goal.
“In any arrangement in the foreseeable future — with an arrangement or without one — Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a news conference, referring to an area including occupied territory that Palestinians hope will one day become their independent state. “This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?”
The Biden administration and the Israeli government have diverged sharply over how Gaza will be governed when the fighting ends. President Biden and his top diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, have urged Israeli officials to move toward the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state. Mr. Biden has suggested that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, run a post-Hamas Gaza as an interim step toward that goal.
But Israeli officials have repeatedly dismissed such calls, saying they are focused on the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu told reporters he had rebuffed the latest exhortations.
A third world war might be starting right now and be fully underway before the election even happens.