Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to announce his support for the establishment of a Palestinian State during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow, a source close to the Prime Minister stated.
According to the source, Lapid's speech will focus on four issues.
The first issue is Iran and the nuclear threat the Islamic Republic poses. Prime Minister Lapid will emphasize that the State of Israel will, if necessary, act by itself to defend itself from Iran and does not need anyone's permission to defend itself.
Lapid will also tell the global body that there is an alternative to the current bad deal being negotiated in Vienna and armed conflict, a better deal that does not include sunset clauses, has proper inspection mechanisms to ensure Iran's compliance, and addresses Iran's ballistic missile program and support for terrorism throughout the Middle East and the world. He will reiterate that such a deal is possible if backed by a credible military threat.
The second issue is the demonization and delegitimization of Israel, especially at the United Nations. Lapid will state that Israel is a full-fledged member of the UN and should be treated as such. He will also state that Israel will defend itself against those who defame it.
The third issue is the expansion of the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum. Lapid will encourage other Arab and Muslim nations to follow the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in normalizing their relations with Israel and cooperating with Israel on matters of security, economy, and high-tech for the benefit of all.
The final issue will be the peace process with the Palestinian Authority. In this part of his speech, Lapid will make history as the first Israeli Prime Minister to endorse the Two-State Solution in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
Lapid will reiterate that Israel will not compromise on its security, but he will state that it is Israel's interests to separate from the Palestinian Arabs.
When asked by Israel National News what kind of Palestinian state the prime minister will refer to and whether the public declaration of support for a Palestinian comes as a result of American pressure, a senior diplomatic source replied: "Our support for the two-state solution is not because of the Americans, but because we think it is best for the State of Israel and that the greatest danger we face is one state."
"There is American pressure," added the source, "but Israeli security policy will be determined by Israel." The source added that the pressure today does not compare to what it was during the Obama Administration.
To Israel National News' question whether there will be displacement of settlements as part of the Two-State Solution, the senior official replied that at this stage there will be no reference to such specific details.
The figure was also asked about his refusal to meet the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, especially in light of his bringing up the Two State Solution. "If it was an important and effective thing, it would have been done," he said, clarifying that at the moment it is not relevant. "The security cooperation is now taking place and there is no operational need to talk to Abu Mazen at this stage."
The source also referred to the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority and said: "The Minister of Defense and the security establishment have taken many actions to strengthen the PA, more needs to be done." it is complicated. "We need to strengthen the mechanisms, prevent them from economic collapse. We have to manage the concessions with them as well."
Regarding the intervention of the US regarding the IDF's rules of engagement, the political official said: "We will not receive instructions from anyone. We are the most moral army in the world. The policy of the State of Israel will be determined by the State of Israel. I will not endanger a single Israeli citizen to please someone in the world."
The political official said that during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the topic of the Hamas captives came up and emphasized: "There is no political official we meet who we do not ask to mobilize for the return of the bodies and civilians."
"We will continue to deal with this," the source promised, "I don't know if it will be successful. We will not do anything that will harm Israel's security."
The political official clarified that there is no meeting this week between the Israeli Prime Minister and the US President for scheduling reasons only, including the wedding of Lapid's son that will be held on Friday in Israel. "There are good relations with the US," the source emphasized, "it's a crowded event and no significance should be attributed to the fact that there is no meeting."