Israel "will not allow" its land to be used for the creation of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Wednesday.
While sitting next to Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, who led a delegation of journalists, Sa'ar urged countries promoting a two-state solution to create a Palestinian homeland "within their own territory."
"A Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel would indeed be a solution — a solution for those seeking to destroy us," Sa'ar said, The Times of Israel reported. "We will not allow that to happen."
"If large countries like France and Canada wish to establish a Palestinian state within their own territory, they can — they have plenty of space. But here, in the land of Israel, it will not happen."
Sa'ar argued that creating a Palestinian state within Israel would endanger Israel's major population centers and leave the country with "indefensible" boundaries, Jewish News Syndicate reported.
"The establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 lines, with its capital in East Jerusalem — a short distance from here — would place Israel's population centers in grave danger and push Israel back to indefensible borders," Sa'ar said, adding that "such a move would be suicidal."
The 1967 line, also known as the Green Line, was derived from the 1949 Armistice agreement between Israel and its neighbors.
The Six-Day War in 1967 left Israel in occupation of the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and most of the Syrian Golan Heights.
Sa'ar provided the Newsmax delegation with a security overview of the region, emphasizing what he described as the dangers such a state would pose.
Earlier, the foreign minister spoke with Newsmax host Carl Higbie. The interview was scheduled to air at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.