MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The realization of the two-state solution in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement is possible in the future only if it ensures full security for Israel, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi told TASS.

When asked whether the two-state solution has the potential to be implemented in the future, he said, "Of course. Our leaders have repeatedly made statements about two states. We have even proposed various options, there are plenty of them. But no one has yet offered us an option that would suit the forces that want to destroy us."

The diplomat also said that the establishment of a Palestinian state will be possible only if there’s absolutely no threats to Israel.

"Not only an independent existence, but a secure one. So that our country would not be threatened by anyone. Then it will be possible to talk about something," he stated.

He said Israel currently sees no one with whom it would be possible to negotiate a Palestinian state.

"This will be possible when everyone realizes that Israel is a state in the Middle East that cannot be destroyed and wiped off the map of the world. When everyone realizes that, then there will probably be people who will negotiate with us. We have enshrined this fact in a number of agreements," Ben Zvi said.

He strongly rejected the possibility of discussing these issues with Hamas. The ambassador noted that the current Palestinian leadership is also not ready to conduct such a dialogue because it does not control the Gaza Strip.

"If there is someone to talk to, then we can talk <...>. That is, what form this state will take, whether it will be demilitarized. This is a question of the future," the diplomat said. "So it is possible. I'm not saying it's impossible. But everybody has to acknowledge that we also exist. If someone continues to say that it is necessary to destroy Israel, nothing will work."

Situation in Gaza

Hamas said on November 22 that it had reached an agreement with Israel, which was brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to introduce a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip for four days. The group said that the agreement provides for the release of 50 women, along with some children and teenagers, in exchange for the release of 150 women and children from Israeli prisons. Earlier, the head of Israel's National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, said that the process of releasing some of the hostages that are held in the Gaza Strip will not begin until November 24. A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday morning that the time when the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into effect will be announced in the coming hours.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking more than 200 hostages, including children, women and elderly people. Hamas has cast the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and started a military operation there. Israel also strikes parts of Lebanon and Syria in retaliation for bombardments originating from these countries. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.