TEL AVIV, February 18. /TASS/. The Israeli government has unanimously approved the resolution put forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which rejects international dictates on the final status of the settlement of the conflict with the Palestinians and recognition of the State of Palestine, the office of the head of cabinet said in a statement.

"The Israeli Government has unanimously approved a declaratory decision regarding Israel's opposition to international diktats," the statement reads.

"Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. A settlement, if it is to be reached, will come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions," the document said.

"Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition in the wake of the October 7th massacre would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would prevent any future peace settlement," according to the statement.

The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply on October 7 of last year after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged surprise incursions from Gaza into borderline Israeli communities, killing residents of Israeli kibbutzim and taking more than 200 people as hostages, including children, women and the elderly. The radicals described the attack as a response to the aggressive actions of the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a complete blockade of Gaza and launched retaliatory strikes and a ground military operation against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave as well as strikes on parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported in the West Bank.