Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Screenshot

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rebuffed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s assertion that Israel is headed for “a one-state reality” in the absence of a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Kerry had said at the Saban Forum in Washington, DC, “Current trends are leading [toward] a one-state reality…The one-state solution is no solution at all for a secure, Jewish, democratic Israel living in peace. It is simply not a viable option.”

Netanyahu said a day later, “I want to make it clear—Israel will not become a binational state.”

“For there to be peace, the other side will have to decide it wants peace,” he said. “Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing. First of all, the Palestinian Authority’s incitement continues. This must stop. And I saw that the chief Palestinian negotiator (Saeb Erekat) paid a condolence visit to the family of a terrorist who tried to kill Jews. So not only did [Erekat] not condemn the attack, he expressed his condolences to [the terrorist’s family], thereby giving encouragement and support for terrorist actions.”

At the Saban Forum, Kerry also hypothesized about a possible collapse of Palestinian Authority (PA) control in the West Bank.

“Without the PA security forces, [the Israel Defense Forces] could be forced to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers to the West Bank indefinitely to fill the void,” Kerry said. “Are Israelis prepared for the consequences this would have for their children and grandchildren who serve in the [IDF]?”