European Union officials push for independent Palestinian state

EU representatives on Monday called for a cease-fire and said an independent Palestinian state was the only way to maintain peace in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of allowing a militarized Palestinian state to exist on his country’s border. Netanyahu also rejected an offer by Hamas that he said required Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, the ending of its war on Hamas, and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Hamas releasing all of the Israeli hostages held by the terrorist group.

So are the hostages not going to be released? Hamas officials said Netanyahu’s rejection of their offer meant that Israeli hostages now had “no chance” of returning home. The families of many of the remaining hostages stormed an Israeli parliamentary committee meeting on Monday, demanding that officials work out a deal to secure the return of their loved ones.

Dig deeper: Read Lael Weinberger’s column in WORLD Opinions about Netanyahu’s proposed changes to the Israeli judiciary that are drawing the ire of Israeli citizens.