Netanyahu keeps stance against Palestinian state

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state, a day before the U.N. Security Council plans to vote on a U.S.-drafted resolution on Gaza that leaves the door open to Palestinian independence.

- By MELANIE LIDMAN

TENTS are set up inside a gutted apartment building in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip.

(ABDEL KAREEM HANA Associated Press)

Netanyahu has long ruled out Palestinian independence, asserting that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel's borders. But as the U.S. attempts to push forward with its Gaza ceasefire framework, he faces heavy international pressure to show flexibility.

The Security Council is expected to vote on a U.S. proposal for a United Nations mandate that would establish an international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip despite opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions warned Sunday against the U.S. proposal, calling it an attempt to impose an international mandate on Gaza that is biased toward Israel and deprives Palestinians of the right to manage their own affairs. In a statement, the groups said the force must not involve Israel and must be under direct U.N. supervision.

The statement also rejected any reference in the U.S. proposal to disarming Palestinians in Gaza. Netanyahu on Sunday noted the proposal calls for Gaza to be demilitarized and Hamas to be disarmed, telling his Cabinet: “Either this will happen the easy way, or it will happen the hard way.”