In news from Israel, police have arrested seven people after they blocked a major highway in Tel Aviv during a protest calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach an agreement that would secure the release of the remaining 132 hostages held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has publicly rejected calls by the Biden administration for the future establishment of a Palestinian state; he called for Israel to be in control of the region from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Therefore, I clarify that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future, with an accord or without an accord, the state of Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That’s a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty. What can you do?”

Many commentators noted Netanyahu was essentially calling for Israel to control the land from the river to the sea — a phrase many Palestinian supporters have been denounced for using even when calling for the formation of a single state where everyone has equal rights.