News Wrap: Netanyahu tells U.S. he opposes Palestinian statehood after Gaza war

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  In the day's other headlines: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed any talk of Palestinian statehood after the Gaza war ends. That laid bare a deep division with U.S. policy, but the prime minister said he's made his stance clear to Washington.

• Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through interpreter):

  In any future arrangement, Israel needs security control over all territory West of the Jordan. I tell this truth to our American friends. The prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends, saying no when necessary and saying yes when possible.

• Geoff Bennett:

  In response, the State Department underscored the U.S. stance that postwar planning must include a state for Palestinians.

• Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesman:

  The is no way to solve their long-term challenges, to provide lasting security and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza and providing security for Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Netanyahu also insisted again today that the fighting will continue until there is a decisive victory over Hamas.

  In Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported the Palestinian death toll has passed 24,600. And Palestinian medics said an Israeli missile destroyed a home in Rafah today, killing 16 people. Half of them were said to be children.

  On the Israeli side, the family of Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage still in Gaza, marked his first birthday. They have had no word of him since his abduction.

  The U.S. military has hit Houthi rebels in Yemen for the fifth time, knocking out two anti-ship missiles. That comes after the rebels, backed by Iran, staged another drone attack on a U.S. commercial vessel. President Biden acknowledged today the Houthis seem undeterred, but he said the retaliation will continue.

  Pakistan struck back at Iran today with airstrikes that killed at least nine people. It came two days after Iranian strikes inside Pakistan. Cell phone video today showed a large crater after a Pakistani strike on an Iranian village. The Pakistanis said they targeted separatists hiding along the border.

• Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson:

  This morning's action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities against Pakistan by these terrorists. Acts like the one which took place a couple of nights ago create difficulties.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Iran says its airstrikes earlier this week also targeted separatists on the Pakistani side of the border.

  Back in this country, this week's winter storms are now blamed for at least two dozen deaths. The latest victims were in Portland, Oregon. Three people were apparently electrocuted Wednesday after a live power line fell on their SUV. A baby inside was rescued. Yet another round of freezing rain is expected in the Pacific Northwest tonight.

  In Georgia, a judge will hear allegations against the district attorney who accused former President Trump of trying to overturn the 2020 election results. A defense lawyer alleges that Fani Willis had an affair with her special prosecutor and profited financially from the case. The motion seeks to toss the indictment. Willis has not directly addressed the allegations, but has defended her staff and her decision-making. The hearing will be next month.

  Severe drought in Panama is forcing authorities to cut shipping traffic through the Panama Canal by 36 percent. Low water levels, going back to last fall, have caused traffic jams for the 50-mile waterway. It's one of the world's most vital routes for international trade. Canal administrators say they hope conditions will improve when the rainy season starts in may.

  And on Wall Street, stocks recouped some losses, with big tech leading the way. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 202 points to close at 37468. The Nasdaq also added 200 points, more than 1 percent. The S&P 500 rose 41.

  And Spelman College in Atlanta has received the largest single gift ever made to a historically Black college. A billionaire couple, Ronda Stryker and William Johnston, announced today they're donating $100 million to the women's school. Most of the money will endow scholarships.