'Absolutely not': Israeli ambassador to UK rejects two-state solution

"I think it's about time for the world to realize the Oslo paradigm failed on October 7," said the ambassador.

 Tzipi Hotovely, Israeli ambassador to the Court of St. James. (photo credit: PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS)
Tzipi Hotovely, Israeli ambassador to the Court of St. James.
(photo credit: PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS)

Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely rejected the possibility of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, saying that the Palestinians only want one state "from the river to the sea."

"I think it's about time for the world to realize the Oslo paradigm failed on October 7 and we need to build a new one," said Hotovely. When asked if a new paradigm would include a Palestinian state, the ambassador said "absolutely no."

"Israel knows today and the world should know now that the reason the Oslo accords failed was because the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel, they want to have a state from the river to the sea."

A section of the controversial Israeli barrier is seen close to a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem  (credit: REUTERS)
A section of the controversial Israeli barrier is seen close to a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem (credit: REUTERS)

Hotovely called the two-state solution "a formula that never worked, that created this radical people on the other side," questioning why the interviewer was "obsessed" with the two-state solution.

Biden stresses 'you can't say no Palestinian state'

In recent comments, US President Joe Biden stated that, moving forward, “we have an opportunity to begin to unite the region... and they still want to do it. But we have to make sure that [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] understands that he’s got to make some moves to strengthen... You cannot say no Palestinian state... That’s going to be the hard part.”