Netanyahu: No Palestinian state west of Jordan, weighing annexation - Amichai Stein

 

by Amichai Stein

In an interview with the Post, UN Ambassador Danny Danon said that it was "very sad to see serious leaders taking part in this circus."

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacts at a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in Jerusalem, September 15, 2025

(photo credit: REUTERS)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that Israel’s response to the Sunday recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western countries will be decided only after he returns from the United States next week.

“The response to attempts to impose terror states in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the US," the prime minister said. “There will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.”

Israeli officials claim that in conversations with senior American officials - including during US Secretary of State Rubio’s visit last week - the American administration did not restrict Israel’s possible steps in response to the recognition of a Palestinian state.

“The American message was clear: if there is a unilateral recognition, you can take unilateral steps,” two sources familiar with the discussions told The Jerusalem Post. 

One of the sources noted that there was no detailed discussion of what exactly Israel might annex, but rather deliberations over several options - one of which is the annexation of the Jordan Valley.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, addresses delegates at the United Nations General Assembly before a vote on the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, US, September 12, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)

Danny Danon slams trilateral recognition of Palestine

Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon dismissed the recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada, and Australia as a “hollow declaration.”

“It is very sad to see serious leaders taking part in this circus,” Danon said in an interview with the Post. 

“We know their true motivation for this move, and they know they will change nothing. Worse still, this is support for Hamas. Everyone understands that in order to move forward, the hostages must first be returned and Hamas destroyed.”

Danon also argued against the possibility that, following the recognitions, Palestine could become a full UN member state.

“This will not happen. Such a move requires the approval of the Security Council, and the United States will veto it. Therefore, it will not change anything on the ground - it will only be another virtual victory for the Palestinians.”

Israel is also considering additional responses and measures against countries that recognize Palestine as a state, including the closure of foreign missions belonging to those countries - some of which deal with Palestinian Authority affairs.

The possibility of expelling foreign diplomats and halting joint projects is also being examined, according to an Israeli official. 

Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-868295

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