JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday that he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, asserting that Israel would maintain security control “from Jordan to the sea.”
“I’m hearing that I will allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza — this hasn’t happened and it will not happen... I think you all know that the person who has repeatedly blocked the establishment of a Palestinian state is me,” Netanyahu said in a televised press conference.
“Israel will exercise security control from the Jordan to the sea, and that applies to the Gaza Strip as well.”

Netanyahu added that Israel would shift its focus to disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza following the return of the last hostage from the Palestinian territory.
He further said that no reconstruction work would take place in Gaza until those two missions were accomplished.

“Now we are focused on completing the two remaining tasks: disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza of weapons and tunnels,” Netanyahu said during a televised press conference.
“It will be done the easy way or it will be done the hard way. But in any case it will happen.”