Jerusalem, 17 Feb (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 17 February that the Palestinian-Israeli issue can only be resolved through direct negotiations, and reiterated his opposition to recognizing the state of Palestine.
Netanyahu held a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem in the evening of the same day, saying that the Palestinian-Israeli issue can only be resolved through direct negotiations without preconditions. Israel will not bend to the "international directive" on the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli issue. He reiterated his opposition to the recognition of the State of Palestine and that "Israel under my leadership will continue to strongly oppose the unilateral recognition of the State of Palestine".
Regarding the negotiations on a ceasefire and exchange of detainees in the Gaza Strip in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, Netanyahu said that the position of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had not changed, so the Israeli delegation left Egypt. Israel will not return to the negotiating table until Hamas's position changes.
At the same time, Netanyahu stressed that Israel will continue to fight in the Gaza Strip until complete victory is achieved. He said those who want to stop Israel's ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah "want us to lose the war" and that "I will not allow that."
After the failure of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in 2014, no new round of negotiations was held. According to a recent report by the United States and Israel, the United States is promoting the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia in exchange for Israel's recognition of the state of Palestine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the Munich Security Conference on the 17th that Israel will have an "excellent opportunity" to integrate into the Middle East in the coming months in view of the willingness of Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel.
Representatives of Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel began negotiations again in Cairo on 13 June on matters such as facilitating a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the 14th, saying that no progress had been made in the negotiations. (ENDS).