Israel’s Foreign Minister Rejects Palestinian State, Rejoins Likud in Party Merger

Israel’s Foreign Minister Rejects Palestinian State, Rejoins Likud in Party Merger

Emmitt Barry

 Israel “will not allow” its land to be used for the creation of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declared Wednesday, urging nations promoting a two-state solution to consider establishing a Palestinian homeland within their own borders.

“A Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel would indeed be a solution — a solution for those seeking to destroy us,” Sa’ar told reporters, according to The Times of Israel. “We will not allow that to happen. If large countries like France and Canada wish to establish a Palestinian state within their own territory, they can — they have plenty of space. But here, in the land of Israel, it will not happen.”

Sa’ar warned that a Palestinian state within Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries, with East Jerusalem as its capital, would put Israel’s population centers at grave risk and leave the country with “indefensible” borders. “Such a move would be suicidal,” he said. The so-called 1967 Green Line emerged from the 1949 Armistice agreement and was altered after Israel captured additional territories in the Six-Day War.

The comments came as Sa’ar met with a Newsmax delegation led by CEO Christopher Ruddy, where he provided a regional security briefing and emphasized the dangers he believes such a state would pose.

Later that day, Sa’ar formally rejoined the Likud party after a five-year split, as the party’s Central Committee voted to approve a merger with his New Hope faction. Standing alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sa’ar recited the Shehecheyanu blessing, thanking God “for having granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment.”

Netanyahu hailed the move as a strengthening of the “national camp” in the face of what he described as a “historic struggle” against international pressure to create a Palestinian state. “We will continue until complete victory in Gaza,” Netanyahu vowed, adding that both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority “want to destroy Israel” and differ only in their methods.

Sa’ar said he decided to return after “a long series of conversations” with Netanyahu about dismantling the “Iranian axis” and defending Israel’s sovereignty. He framed the merger as essential to unifying national leadership against foreign attempts to impose a two-state solution.

“Who will be able to lead the people and the state in this campaign against the establishment of a Palestinian state other than the national camp, the Likud led by the Prime Minister?” Sa’ar asked, dismissing past political differences with Netanyahu.

“With God’s help, we are strengthening and will continue to strengthen the national camp,” he concluded, casting the move as preparation for Israel’s next national election and the battles ahead.