In a stark shift that threatens to upend Israel’s security doctrine, the United States orchestrated a joint statement Friday endorsing “a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” as part of efforts to resolve the Gaza conflict. The statement—signed by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey—marks Washington’s most explicit backing yet of a Palestinian state, even as President Donald Trump claims he remains undecided on the issue.
The joint declaration goes beyond the conditional language of Trump’s 20-point plan, which states that conditions “may” create “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once Gaza reconstruction advances and Palestinian Authority reforms are implemented. Instead, Friday’s statement treats statehood as a certainty, calling the process a “viable path towards peace and stability” and urging “swift adoption” of a US resolution at the UN Security Council to establish an International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
For decades, US foreign policy was based on the creation of a Palestinian state. The Two-State Solution would create an unprecedented militarized Arab state inside Israel’s borders, ethnically cleansed of Jews, with its capital in an exclusively Muslim Jerusalem. This would require a return to the ceasefire lines drawn up after the defensive 1967 Six-Day War that are considered to be indefensible against an Arab threat. The UN resolution violates the Oslo Accords which require any resolution concerning Judea and Samaria to be the result of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
By rejecting the Two-State solution, President Trump negotiated the Abraham Accords in 2020, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded with unequivocal rejection on Sunday: “Israel’s policy is clear: A Palestinian state will not be established.” He vowed that Gaza would be “demilitarized down to the last tunnel” and Hamas disarmed, whether by the IDF or an international force.
Trump’s position on Palestinian statehood remains contradictory. Despite the language in his 20-point plan, he has admitted in recent weeks that he has not decided whether to back a Two-State solution. Yet the US draft resolution being prepared for the UN Security Council explicitly includes the term “Palestinian state,” and Washington is leveraging the issue to pressure Saudi Arabia into normalizing relations with Israel. Riyadh has made clear that official ties depend on Israel committing to Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed Friday’s statement, with chief Mahmoud Abbas affirming “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to establish their independent Palestinian state.” He declared his government “ready to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel’s right-wing coalition erupted in fury. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded that Netanyahu “make clear to the whole world that a Palestinian state will never be established.” He accused the prime minister of “silence and diplomatic disgrace” after promising a firm response in September when several countries recognized “Palestine” unilaterally. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared he would not remain in any government that permits Palestinian statehood, stating bluntly: “There is no such thing as a ‘Palestinian people’—it is an invention with no historical, archaeological, or factual basis.”
The international push for Palestinian statehood has gained dangerous momentum. In September, France led a group of countries in unilaterally recognizing “Palestine,” prompting Netanyahu to pledge retaliation. Israel threatened to close the French consulate in Jerusalem. France warned it would reduce Israel’s Mossad station in Paris and expel Israeli diplomats. Britain likewise threatened immediate counter-measures against any Israeli retaliation.
The wave of recognition has spread across continents. Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Armenia announced recognition in the months following October 7, essentially rewarding the massacre of Israelis. This brought the total to 139 of 193 UN member states. The timing could not be more obscene—rewarding the perpetrators of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust with diplomatic legitimacy and territorial sovereignty.
Turkey, a signatory to Friday’s joint statement, recognized “Palestine” in 1988. Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Jordan—all parties to the US-backed declaration—have long maintained formal recognition. Their joint statement represents not a new position but coordinated pressure to force Israel’s capitulation.
The Knesset has made its position clear. Early last year, lawmakers voted 99-11 to reject unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood, with all coalition members and most Zionist opposition parties rejecting “international diktats regarding a permanent settlement.” In July, 71 of 120 Knesset members passed a non-binding resolution favoring Jerusalem’s sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. Last month, parliament approved, in a preliminary reading, two bills to formally annex parts of Judea and Samaria.
The US resolution faces opposition from Russia and China at the Security Council. The two veto-wielding powers have demanded the removal of the “Board of Peace” specified in Trump’s plan, expressing unease about a temporary governing body for Gaza. Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet with senior Hamas terrorist Khalil al-Hayya—Washington’s second direct engagement with the terror group after decades of using intermediaries.
In September, Netanyahu stood before the world and declared, “A Palestinian state west of the Jordan will not be established. It will not happen.” He reminded his audience that “for years I prevented the establishment of this terror-state in front of gigantic pressures inside and outside. We doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria—and we will continue in this path.” He condemned the countries recognizing Palestinian statehood: “You are giving an enormous reward to terror.”