Katz says 'Israel' won't recognize Palestine or withdraw from Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
Today 15:37

Israeli Security Minister Katz rejects Palestinian statehood and vows to maintain occupation positions in Syria, sharpening "Israel’s" stance ahead of MBS's visit to Washington.

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Former Israeli Foreign Minister and current Security Minister Israel Katz listens during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the war on Gaza, on March 11, 2024, at UN headquarters. (AP)

Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz declared on Saturday that “Israel’s policy is clear: There will be no Palestinian state,” reiterating his government’s categorical rejection of Palestinian statehood and support for permanent Israeli occupation of key positions in Syria.

Katz's remarks underlined that any political settlement must be subordinated to Israeli security imperatives. He said that Gaza must be “demilitarized down to the last tunnel,” and that the removal of the Palestinian Resistance's military capabilities would be carried out either by Israeli occupation forces in areas under direct Israeli occupation or by an international stabilization force.

The minister’s remarks follow months of high-level talks in Washington and regional capitals over ways to secure a durable ceasefire and Gaza's future. Katz presented demilitarization not as a transitional aim but as a permanent prerequisite for any change in the status quo, a position that places Israeli security demands at odds with international efforts that link reconstruction and normalization to political progress for the Palestinians.

Mount Hermon, strategic Syrian south

Katz also affirmed that Israeli occupation forces will maintain their hold over the summit of Mount Hermon, Syria, and remain deployed inside the Syrian-controlled side of the demilitarized zone in southern Syria. He insisted that this continued presence is “vital” for safeguarding Israeli interests in the occupied Golan and al-Jalil and will not be relinquished under any prospective arrangement with Damascus.

The insistence on retaining positions on Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon) complicates reported, intermittent Israeli-Syrian security talks and any diplomatic pathway that contemplates phased Israeli pullbacks in exchange for formal understandings. However, occupying these areas also grants Israeli forces a commanding field of vision over southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and central Syria, which is a strategic advantage that reinforces the occupation’s surveillance and military position across multiple fronts.

Echoing Katz’s remarks, Education Minister and member of the security cabinet Yoav Kish warned against relinquishing forward Israeli sites he described as “early-warning” assets, arguing such positions “cannot be abandoned” because they are central to detecting and deterring threats from the north.

Regional and diplomatic context

Katz’s statements arrive against a backdrop of competing regional positions. Riyadh has repeatedly tied normalization to Palestinian statehood, signaling that any Saudi-Israeli understandings would likely be conditioned by Palestinian political outcomes. According to Israeli media, reporting that the Israeli government made such a concession prompted Katz to publicly reject the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS's) visit to Washington is scheduled for November 18, where he is expected to press President Donald Trump on security guarantees, nuclear cooperation, and the conditions for any future normalization track. The timing adds weight to Katz’s remarks, as "Israel" seeks to decouple its security negotiations with Riyadh from Palestinian statehood, while Saudi officials continue to insist that meaningful movement on Palestinian statehood remains a prerequisite for any formal breakthrough.