Israel considers alternatives to the march toward a single, non-Jewish state

Mr Netanyahu also rejected criticism made yesterday by USA secretary of state John Kerry, who told a Washington forum that the Israeli PM needed to prove his support for Palestinian statehood.

Kerry described a prospect that would mark a failure of American policy and end to Israel’s existence as a country that is both Jewish and democratic.

This year’s conference, entitled “Israel and the United States: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow” will focus on issues including the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Iran’s nuclear program and its role in the middle east, the Syrian civil conflict, and the global threat of the Islamic State (IS) and Islamic Jihad.

Speaking before his weekly cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu slammed the remarks, labelling them “scandalous” and saying that Israel would continue to protect the lives of its citizens. Let’s ignore the fact that if Israel is to withdraw from more of Judea and Samaria (sometimes referred to as the West Bank), it must first negotiate borders with the Palestinian Authority and that body has effectively refused to negotiate since walking away from talks in 2008. A soldier stepping off a nearby bus opened fire and killed the man, police said.

Addressing Swedish lawmakers on Friday, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom denounced the nearly daily Palestinian knife, gun or car-ramming attacks but urged Israel to avoid excessive force.

The top U.S. diplomat also hit out at the building of settlements by Israel on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

“Without the PA security forces, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) could be forced to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers to the West Bank indefinitely to fill the void”, Kerry said.

Israel says the latest unrest stems from incitement by Palestinian leaders.

Last month Wallstrom asserted that one of the causes of the Paris terror attack was the frustration of young Palestinians and the lack of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

Ever since Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt in 1967, the question of the territories’ fate has hung in the air.

Israel’s left wing has favored a pullout from most of the areas, hoping this will bring Israel recognition and peace in the region. Eventually the situation may become irreversible, with the Palestinians abandoning efforts to set up their own state and instead demanding annexation and voting rights as citizens of a single “binational” state.

He said a two-state solution is possible only if both sides want peace.

Numerous 114 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces since October 1 were shot dead after allegedly stabbing – or attempting to stab – Israelis.

Some 5,00,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.4 million Palestinians. The army would maintain its current positions until a better alternative emerged.