Jerusalem: Israel responded with outrage after Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced they were officially recognizing a Palestinian state, a coordinated move that breaks with Israel and its closest ally, the United States. ‘I have a clear message to those leaders who are recognizing a Palestinian state after the horrendous October 7 massacre: You are rewarding terror with an enormous prize,’ said Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘And I have another message for you: It’s not going to happen. There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River.’

According to Ghana News Agency, the area west of the Jordan River includes Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Vowing retaliation, the premier said: ‘The response to the latest attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States.’ He boasted he had long prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite intense internal and external pressure, while simultaneously doubling settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

‘And we will continue on this path,’ Netanyahu said. Far-right coalition partners called for the immediate annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank, following the recognition. According to media reports, Netanyahu plans to make a final decision only after a meeting with US President Donald Trump on September 29.