Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Netanyahu of \u201csilence and diplomatic disgrace\u201d on the issue, arguing that the prime minister had failed to respond forcefully to recent unilateral recognitions of a Palestinian state by several countries.<\/p>\n
Smotrich demanded that Netanyahu \u201cimmediately formulate an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world [that] a Palestinian state will never be established on the territory of our homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last month,\u00a0Smotrich declared that he wouldn\u2019t agree<\/a> to a normalization agreement if it meant the establishment of a Palestinian state, disparagingly saying the Saudis could \u201ckeep riding camels.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition \t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir joined the pressure campaign, declaring that \u201cthere is no such thing as a \u2018Palestinian people\u2019\u201d and insisting that \u201cthey certainly do not deserve a reward for the terror, murder and atrocities they have sown everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe only real solution in Gaza is to encourage voluntary emigration,\u201d he said, adding that his Otzma Yehudit party \u201cwill not be part of any government that agrees\u201d to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Ben Gvir called on Netanyahu to make clear that Israel \u201cwill not allow a Palestinian state in any form.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Gvir has previously issued ultimatums to Netanyahu, at times threatening to bring down the government. In October, he said he gave the prime minister<\/a> a deadline to dismantle Hamas and implement the death penalty for terrorists, warning that his party would quit the coalition if the demands were not met. A month later, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer walked back those claims<\/a>, stating that the faction was not actively seeking to topple the government.<\/p>\n Culture Minister Miki Zohar of Netanyahu\u2019s Likud party also expressed opposition to Palestinian statehood on Saturday, calling for normalization with Saudi Arabia \u201cwithout recognizing a Palestinian state that would endanger our security.\u201d He said such an agreement would \u201cchange the future of the Middle East for generations to come\u201d if reached on terms Israel finds acceptable.<\/p>\n Unlike Smotrich, Ben Gvir and Zohar, who refrained from mentioning Trump in their statements, erstwhile far-right coalition MK Avi Maoz accused the US president of \u201cadvancing a Palestinian terror state\u201d in the West Bank.<\/p>\n \t Additionally, the Yesha Council \u2014 the umbrella group representing local authorities in West Bank settlements \u2014 sharply criticized the notion of Palestinian statehood being linked to diplomacy with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n The organization accused the government of effectively accepting the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalization with Riyadh and warned that silence over recent European recognitions was enabling its de facto establishment.<\/p>\n The council reiterated its longstanding position that \u201cit\u2019s either [Israeli] sovereignty or a Palestinian state,\u201d and urged Netanyahu to publicly reaffirm that no Palestinian state would ever be established \u2014 a position he has consistently maintained.<\/p>\n The far-right backlash erupted after the US-organized joint statement \u2014 backed by Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey \u2014 endorsed an American-led UN Security Council resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The joint declaration stressed that Washington\u2019s plan \u201coffers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood\u201d and urged its \u201cswift adoption,\u201d despite pushback from Russia and China.<\/p>\n \u2018It takes minutes for a F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel\u2019<\/p>\n The political storm in Israel came as a separate report indicated progress in parallel US-Saudi-Israeli discussions over advanced weapons and normalization. According to Channel 12 and Axios, Israel does not object in principle to the United States supplying Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets, but insists that any sale must be conditioned on Riyadh normalizing relations with Jerusalem.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe told the Trump administration that the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia needs to be subject to Saudi normalization with Israel,\u201d Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying, warning that approving such a sale without diplomatic progress would be \u201ccounterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n A second Israeli official said Jerusalem views Saudi Arabia obtaining the jets differently than other regional states, such as Turkey. \u201cUnlike the supply of F-35s to Turkey that we strongly oppose, we are less concerned\u2026 if it\u2019s part of regional security cooperation under the Abraham Accords,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n Israel has long been wary of advanced arms sales to neighboring countries due to its desire to preserve its qualitative military edge. It is currently the only state in the Middle East operating F-35s, with 45 in service and 30 more ordered. One official told Axios that Israel would require any Saudi F-35s not to be stationed in the kingdom\u2019s western region, noting, \u201cIt takes minutes for a F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, Trump said<\/a> he was considering approving the sale ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s upcoming visit to Washington, during which economic and defense agreements are expected to be signed.<\/p>\n \t He reiterated that he hopes Saudi Arabia will soon join the Abraham Accords, though Riyadh has made clear that it will not normalize relations without a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood, which Netanyahu has expressed opposition to in the past.<\/p>\n According to Axios, Trump urged bin Salman in a phone call<\/a> last month to normalize relations with Israel following the October 9 Gaza ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n Normalization, once seen as within reach before the Gaza war, has since faltered amid Saudi insistence on statehood guarantees \u2014 a demand the Israeli public is even less likely to accept following two years of conflict triggered by Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, massacre.<\/p>\n Jacob Magid and Agencies contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tLeft: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, January 16, 2025; Right: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, January 13, 2025. (Both photos by Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25133533434937-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk for a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25246605673659-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA squadron US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flyover over the White House, September 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20250728__684P6WT__v1__HighRes__UsUnIsraelPalestinianConflictDiplomacy-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tSaudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud speaks at a United Nations conference on a two-state solution at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025, in New York City. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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