Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP)
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that “there will be no Palestinian state,” as tensions soared following deadly Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar. Speaking at a signing ceremony for a major Israeli settlement project in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said, “This place belongs to us,” a statement the United Nations has described as an “existential threat” to the viability of a future Palestinian state.On Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out a strike on a Hamas compound in Doha, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari soldier. Those killed included Hamam al-Hayya, the son of top Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, Jihad Labad, the negotiator’s office director, and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd, and Mumen Hassoun, along with Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari.Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum condemned the attack, accusing the United States of complicity and calling the strike “an assassination of the entire negotiation process,” criticizing Washington as a “full accomplice” in targeting Qatar’s mediating role. The strike sent shockwaves throughout the region, which had largely been shielded from direct conflict.Meanwhile, the White House emphasised that US President Donald Trump did not approve the Israeli action and was not notified in advance, although he instructed his envoy to warn Qatar immediately once he became aware of the attack. Qatar has hosted several rounds of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel, maintaining a political office for Hamas since 2012 with US approval to facilitate communication. Sheikh Mohammed called for a collective regional response and announced an Arab-Islamic summit in Doha to determine next steps.
