Israel warns that recognizing Palestinian state encourages 'unilateral actions'

2025-09-07 15:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel warns that recognizing Palestinian state encourages 'unilateral

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has called the decision by several states to recognize Palestinian statehood a "mistake" and warned that such a move could prompt an unspecified unilateral response, following reports that Israel plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

Several countries, including France and Britain, have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which is being held this month.

French-Israeli relations have been noticeably strained in recent weeks, since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country plans to host a conference organized jointly with Saudi Arabia to discuss the two-state solution at the UN.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last month that Britain would recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel did not reach a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas attacks on Israeli soil, by October 2023.

Hamas has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and other powers.

"Countries like France and Britain, which have pushed forward with so-called recognition, have made a big mistake," Saar said at a press conference with his Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

According to him, moving forward with these plans makes achieving peace "more difficult."

"The region will be destabilized. Israel will be forced to make unilateral decisions."

His statements come after Israel approved a plan to build new settlements in the West Bank, including a major project in east Jerusalem.

The international community, on the other hand, has said that such an action endangers the future Palestinian state.

All Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are considered illegal under international law.

Meanwhile, Israel continues the offensive launched in Gaza, following Hamas attacks in 2023, which resulted in the killing of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Of the approximately 240 hostages taken in the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 whom the Israeli military believes are dead.

Israeli retaliatory attacks have killed over 62,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to data from Palestinian health authorities, which the United Nations considers credible.

A day earlier, the Israeli military called on Palestinians to leave Gaza City – the largest urban area in Gaza – as the army is operating in the city.

Israeli military forces have been conducting offensives in the outskirts of the city for several weeks, following the decision taken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to capture that area.

Netanyahu believes that Gaza City is the headquarters of Hamas – the Palestinian group designated a terrorist by the United States and other powers – and its occupation is a necessary step to defeat the militants.

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated severely in Gaza, with international organizations saying Palestinians are facing famine./ REL