Katz rules out Palestinian state in talks with US senators

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has seemingly ruled out the prospect of a Palestinian state during a meeting with a delegation of US senators, while backing President Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza.

Katz was adamant that Israel "will never agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger its existence”.

During the meeting, the minister outlined Israel's key priorities as preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, securing the release of hostages being held in Gaza and dismantling the Hamas in the Strip.

After achieving these objectives, Israel intends to pursue a normalisation agreement with Saudi Arabia, Katz told the senators.

But he also said that Donald Trump's plan for Gaza "is the only one that can guarantee security for the residents of… the State of Israel after the lessons learned from the events of October 7”.

Trump sparked international backlash after suggesting that the US would “take over” Gaza and relocate its population while developing the Strip into the “riviera of the Middle East”.

Officials later clarified that any resettlement would be temporary, only for Trump to contradict this and suggest that two million Gazans would be permanently moved to Jordan and Egypt.

The proposal has proved divisive, with humanitarian groups claiming that it would amount to ethnic cleansing and Saudi Arabia ruling out any normalisation with Israel under the plan.

Yet some have suggested that Trump’s brash rhetoric and unconventional diplomatic approach could hold the key to regional peace.

Writing for the JC, former Knesset member Einat Wilf argued that only Trump sees the true value, and potential, of the Gaza Strip.

It comes after Hamas reportedly confirmed that it would accept a transfer of power in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority as part of the ceasefire deal.

The decision, apparently made under “significant pressure” from Egyptian mediators, removes one of the major stumbling blocks in the “day after” negotations by relieving the terror group of its governmental authority over the Strip.