Tel Aviv, 16 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not allow itself to be forced into a two-state solution in the wake of the Gaza war.

"Israel outright rejects international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians," Netanyahu posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in the early hours of Friday. "Such an arrangement will be reached only through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions."

Israel would also continue to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, he continued.

"Such recognition in the wake of the October 7 massacre would give a huge reward to unprecedented terrorism and prevent any future peace settlement," he wrote.

Earlier he spoke by telephone with US President Joe Biden.

According to the White House, the two leaders "discussed the situation in Gaza, and the urgency of ensuring that humanitarian assistance is able to get to Palestinian civilians in desperate need."

"The President also raised the situation in Rafah, and reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah," the White House said in a readout of the call.

According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Israel is concerned that the US could recognize a Palestinian state without Israel's consent as part of efforts to find a two-state solution. Maariv recently reported that Israel is seeing "intensive activities" by the US government with the aim of unifying the West Bank and Gaza Strip under a Palestinian government.

A two-state solution would see an independent, democratic and demilitarized Palestinian state exist peacefully alongside Israel. Efforts to achieve this have not made any progress for years.