Israeli FM Gideon Sa’ar: Two-State Solution for Israel is ‘National Suicide’
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar declared Palestinian statehood would endanger Israel, citing Gaza's transformation into a "terror base" post-2005 withdrawal. His remarks followed Israel's interception of a Houthi missile from Yemen amid ongoing regional tensions.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has denounced the two-state solution as a dangerous illusion, warning that the establishment of a Palestinian state would leave Israel exposed behind undefended borders.
Speaking in an interview with the U.S.-based Newsmax channel, Sa’ar said that accepting a Palestinian state “is tantamount to national suicide,” particularly in the aftermath of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which, he asserted, resulted in the creation of “a giant terrorist base.”
Sa’ar recalled that Israel had already tested the concept when, in 2005, it fully withdrew from Gaza under what was then called the disengagement plan. “We removed all our military bases, settlements, and even relocated cemeteries. In return, they built the largest terrorist infrastructure on the ground,” he said.
He criticized the Oslo Accords, noting that under their terms, the Palestinian Authority was supposed to prevent terrorism. “The idea was to give them autonomy while ensuring they take responsibility for security. But instead of improving, the security situation deteriorated, as every place we left became a major base for terror,” Sa’ar stressed.
The Israeli foreign minister emphasized that granting the Palestinians a state with control over its borders, airspace, and the capacity to form alliances with regional states would, from Israel’s perspective, amount to “national suicide.”
He argued that countries advocating for a Palestinian state “do not truly consider what would happen to Israel,” since such a decision would not directly impact them. “When people raise the slogan ‘We’ll give you a state, but without Hamas,’ who exactly will implement this?” Sa’ar asked.
According to Sa’ar, the two-state solution, once a popular slogan, now holds minimal backing within Israel after two major political experiments — the Oslo Accords and the Gaza disengagement — ended in failure and heightened security threats. He asserted that on the international stage, the proposal has become more of a slogan than a realistic remedy, stressing that it “may be the problem itself, rather than the solution.”
Israeli Military Intercepts Missile from Yemen
After Gideon’s remarks, on Thursday, the Israeli army announced that its air defense system had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel. Military spokesperson Evi Dverin confirmed the interception and said the projectile was downed before reaching its target.
In a statement, the army noted that no air raid sirens were activated in accordance with standard protocol, though residents in central Israel reported hearing the sound of an explosion.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of Houthi attacks from Yemen, backed by Iran. The Houthis have persistently launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, framing their actions as support for the Palestinian people and Hamas. In addition to targeting Israel, the Houthis have also attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea, accusing them of having links to Israel.
