PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas
PA chairman Mahmoud AbbasReuters

The Palestinian Authority “foreign ministry” on Tuesday condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in a meeting with members of the Likud Party that he intends to act to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

Kan 11 News reported that in a conversation with Likud members, Netanyahu said, "I am the only one who will prevent a Palestinian state in Gaza and Judea and Samaria after the war."

"The Americans did not want us to start a ground incursion [in Gaza]. They did not want us to go into Shifa Hospital. We did both things. I have known Biden for more than 40 years and know how to speak to the public opinion in the United States," Netanyahu added.

In a statement published on Tuesday, the PA foreign affairs bureau said that Netanyahu's words reflect his position which is "hostile to peace, the rights of the Palestinian people and international legitimacy and its decisions".

According to the statement, Netanyahu is trying to awaken the Israeli right and reunite it behind his leadership under the image of the only person who can save Israel from the price it will be required to pay to reach a settlement of the conflict.

The PA “foreign ministry” also stated that Netanyahu is aware that after the war there will be international pressure to find a diplomatic solution to the Palestinian problem and, as such, he is striving to thwart it through his right-wing political platform and pleasing his supporters from among “the settlers and extremists.”

The PA bureau stressed that the Palestinian state already exists and all that is required is a decision by the Security Council to approve its full membership in the United Nations and the end of the "state of occupation".