French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné declared on Saturday that “Palestinians have the right to sovereignty and to establish a state,” following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed opposition to “Palestinian sovereignty” in the Gaza Strip.
Speaking via platform X, Séjourné asserted that “France will remain committed to achieving this goal.”
The French minister’s stance comes after statements from Netanyahu opposing the idea of Palestinian sovereignty in Gaza, emphasizing that Israel must maintain “control over the security of the Palestinian territories.”
Yesterday, the Israeli Prime Minister and members of his government opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, counteracting the United States’ position advocating for this option after the end of the war on Gaza.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel would not relinquish its full security control over the West Bank territories.
He added that surrendering these territories (the occupied Palestinian lands) conflicted with the existence of the Palestinian state.
Netanyahu had previously stated that he opposes the establishment of any Palestinian state that does not ensure Israel’s security.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Bureau denied reports by CNN attributing Netanyahu’s commitment to the Palestinian state during a phone call on Friday with US President Joe Biden, confirming that Netanyahu reiterated his steadfast position on the Palestinian state to Biden.
Washington and Europe support the two-state solution, which is opposed by the Israeli government that continues a bloody war on the Gaza Strip, marking the 107th consecutive day following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on towns and cities surrounding Gaza on October 7, 2023.
