Netanyahu Holds Special Discussions on the Implications of Recognizing the State of Palestine

SadaNews - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special session on Monday evening to discuss Tel Aviv's preparations for a wave of expected recognitions of the Palestinian state by several countries, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority ("Kan 11"). During the session, Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar expressed his support for "closing the French consulate in Jerusalem" and taking "diplomatic punitive measures against countries that will recognize the Palestinian state," as reported by the news. The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs stated in remarks sent to SadaNews that they have not received any notification from the Israeli authorities regarding such a measure, which would severely damage our bilateral relations and warrant a strong reaction. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for "imposing sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank)" as a "symbolic" step, along with the "dissolution of the Palestinian Authority," a proposal rejected by Israeli security officials who do not see it as a practical option. For his part, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized his exclusion from the session, saying: "They do not want to hear my criticisms." This comes as Israel prepares for the possibility of an expanded recognition of a Palestinian state, following announcements from both Britain and France indicating their intention to take this step. The conference called by France and Saudi Arabia in September at the United Nations headquarters in New York is expected to see moves from countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and San Marino to join the recognition process, in addition to countries that have already expressed similar positions such as Spain, Ireland, Malta, and Norway.