According to France24.com, several nations, including France and Britain, have committed to recognizing a Palestinian state during the 80th UN General Assembly this month. This move has strained Franco-Israeli relations, especially after French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of his country's plans and his co-hosting of a conference on the two-state solution with Saudi Arabia at the UN in July.
Saar reiterated that the international community's push for Palestinian statehood recognition would destabilize the region and compel Israel to consider unilateral actions. His comments come after Israel's recent approval of new West Bank settlements, including a significant project east of Jerusalem known as E1. This development has been criticized by the international community as a threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed that the E1 project aims to eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state. On Wednesday, he declared that annexing large portions of the West Bank would remove the idea of dividing Israel's land and establishing a "terrorist" state in its center from the agenda.
Amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, violence has also erupted in the West Bank. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, at least 973 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, as per figures from the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah. During the same timeframe, at least 36 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.