By SCM International Desk I Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026
JERUSALEM — Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reaffirmed his long-held rejection of a sovereign Palestinian state, arguing that Israel must maintain unyielding military authority across the entire region from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River while annexing major portions of the occupied West Bank.
Speaking on the strategic vision for the region’s future, the former prime minister insisted that a traditional two-state framework would lead to catastrophic consequences for Israeli security.
”At the end of the day, Israel must have absolute security control from the sea to the Jordan River,” Mr. Bennett said. “The Palestinians will manage themselves civilly in their areas, in Areas A and B, and Area C will ultimately be part of Israel. Trying to bring about a two-state solution would bring a terrible disaster upon us”.
The remarks summarize the core philosophy of Israel’s right-wing political camp, which views full territorial dominance as an existential necessity rather than a bargaining chip.
Mr. Bennett’s framework directly counters decades of U.S. foreign policy and international consensus, which maintain that a negotiated two-state solution based on the 1967 borders represents the only viable path toward long-term peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Security Dominance: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would retain unrestricted operational authority throughout all territories between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Annexation of Area C: Israel would formalize sovereignty over Area C, which constitutes roughly 60 percent of the West Bank and houses all Israeli settlements as well as vital agricultural land and natural resources.
Limited Palestinian Autonomy: Palestinian self-governance would be strictly confined to Areas A and B—the urban population centers outlined in the 1993 Oslo Accords—denying Palestinians statehood, military capability, or control over external borders
Mr. Bennett, a former high-tech entrepreneur and leader of the right-wing Yamina party, rose to prominence in Israeli politics largely by campaigning against the Oslo framework. In 2012, he introduced his “Stability Initiative,” an early blueprint advocating for the formal annexation of Area C and the offer of Israeli citizenship or residency to the Palestinian population living within those specific boundaries.
During his tenure as Prime Minister from June 2021 to June 2022, Mr. Bennett led an unprecedentedly diverse coalition that spanned right-wing, centrist, left-wing, and Arab parties. To maintain political stability, his government pursued a policy of “managing the conflict” rather than attempting to resolve it diplomatically or pursue annexation. However, his personal political ideology has remained rooted in the annexationist wing of Israeli politics.
Regional and International Implications
Critics argument that Mr. Bennett’s proposal formalizes a single-state reality without equal democratic rights for millions of Palestinians in Areas A and B, effectively creating a system of permanent disenfranchisement. Human rights organizations and Palestinian leaders have warned that abandoning the two-state solution ensures perpetual instability and isolates Israel internationally.
Supporters counter that the events of recent years demonstrate that granting territorial concessions or retreating from buffer zones creates security vacuums that hostile proxy forces inevitably fill.
As debate over post-war arrangements in the Middle East intensifies, Mr. Bennett’s remarks highlight a growing ideological divide between Western diplomats advocating for Palestinian statehood and Israeli leaders who insist that security control over the entire land must remain exclusively in Israeli hands.
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