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11 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JANUARY 2024 BENJAMIN Netanyahu's declaration that Pales- tinian statehood conflicts with his vision of Israel taking security control of all land west of the Jor- dan River is abhorrent. In one fell swoop, the Israeli prime minister shattered the idea of a two-state solution that would see Palestinians living in an independent country alongside Israel. Netanyahu's declaration comes as no surprise since his actions have long suggested he is op- posed to Palestinian statehood. This has been all the more evident with his support for new Is- raeli settlements in the West Bank despite these being considered illegal under international law. The only difference now is that Netanyahu has gone on record in the clearest of terms stating that a Palestinian state conflicts with Israel's in- terest to maintain security control over all the land. The only conclusion one can reach from Net- anyahu's words is that Israel wants total control over Palestinian territories, subjugating any no- tion of self-rule to the whims of Israel. In short, Netanyahu wants to create a system of apartheid that leaves Palestinians at the mer- cy of Israeli benevolence. This is very wrong and flies in the face of what the international community, including the Ar- ab world, has long called for – the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with security guarantees for Israel. Netanyahu's words should not only be con- demned but it is time for the western nations to withdraw their unconditional support to the Israeli government as long as he remains at its helm. Denying Palestinians statehood will not re- move the security threat posed by radicals but will rather embolden even the most moderate of interlocutors to embrace violence as a means to an end. Netanyahu's vision will create more problems for Israel and its people than it will solve. But then again, Netanyahu is probably only in- terested in saving his skin. The self-styled Mr Security was the prime minister on whose watch the worst attack on Israeli territory happened and he only survives today because Israelis have rallied in unity at a time of war. A two-state solution remains the only viable alternative that will require all sides to compro- mise on some of their past grievances. Israel's security can be guaranteed by having a demilita- rised Palestinian state with the presence of a UN peace keeping force to maintain border security. The Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 were atrocious and vile. They showed Hamas for what it really is – a terrorist group whose cowardly tactics see it operate from with- in civilian areas in Gaza thus endangering the lives of ordinary Palestinians. But those attacks can never justify the carnage that has been happening in Gaza ever since. They can never justify the adoption of a policy of apartheid that keeps denying Palestinians the right to government themselves. This leader believes Israel has a right to de- fend itself by going after Hamas operatives but what is happening has long exceeded the limits of self-defence. When more than 25,000 peo- ple, including many children, die as a result of a ground and aerial offensive that has targeted civilian infrastructure, they can no longer be called collateral damage. An immediate ceasefire is necessary to give the people of Gaza reprieve, allow them to mourn and receive basic necessities that have been de- nied them because of the war. A ceasefire must, however, also include Hamas stopping their attacks on Israeli troops and de- sisting from firing rockets towards Israeli com- munities. Hamas must also release all hostages. The aftermath of a ceasefire should see a broad political dialogue taking place with the aim of creating a Palestinian state and giving Israel the security guarantees it seeks. Netanyahu's vision endangers Israel more than it protects it maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt heartening to see that in the cur- rent scenario where the truth and facts are being suppressed, distorted, or fabricated, civil so- ciety has felt it a duty to develop its own resilience. Whereas our government should be in the lead in ensuring transparency and full disclosure of the truth by means of its national broadcasting sys- tem, it is dangerously afforded to ignore a threat that undermines the foundations of democracy and national security. Successfully countering state-manipulated broadcast me- dia and restoring trust in it will take time, resources, and creativ- ity. In the absence of a compre- hensive campaign to deal with this threat, manipulation and disinfor- mation techniques could enable our ruling regime to expand its power and influence while perma- nently eroding user confidence in our national broadcasting system as a whole. The government is now bolstering the false perception that most citizens stand with it, with the result that it is able to justify crackdowns on the political opposition and advance antidemocratic changes to laws and institutions without a proper debate