Netanyahu has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders. The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict for the long term. Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s opposition to a Palestinian state has “not changed one bit” and is not threatened by external or internal pressure. In September, after the U.K., Australia and Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state, Netanyahu blasted the countries for proffering a “prize” to Hamas. The military later said its forces had killed someone in the Far’a area of the West Bank who “attempted to harm them,” with no details.
