Tel Aviv, MINA – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his absolute rejection Thursday of a Palestinian state when he met a US delegation of Republican lawmakers, according to a statement from his office, Anadolu Agency reports.
The delegation is visiting Israel on behalf of the pro-Israel lobby group, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“There is an attempt to shove a Palestinian state down our throats,” Netanyahu told the delegation.
“The vast majority of Israelis oppose such a thing,” he added.
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Netanyahu also reviewed developments in the ongoing Israeli onslaught against Gaza, with the delegation, and his efforts to release Israeli hostages that are being held in the enclave.
The Israeli premier spoke with US President Joe Biden on the telephone earlier Thursday during which Biden threw his weight behind an immediate cease-fire to halt the violence in the coastal enclave “to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.”
The American president implored Netanyahu “to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”
Hamas said Thursday that there is still no progress in indirect talks with Israel on a cease-fire deal because Tel Aviv is “intransigent,” and has rejected every proposal that has been put forward. (T/RE1/P2)
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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