Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday that a Palestinian state will not be established if he is re-elected, as part of frantic last-minute campaigning ahead of parliamentary elections.
Mr. Netanyahu, looking to shore up support from his hard-line base ahead of the Tuesday vote, made the comment in a videotaped interview posted on Monday on the nrg news website.
The latest opinion polls have shown Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party trailing Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union, with momentum shifting away from Mr. Netanyahu.
“I think that whoever today moves to establish a Palestinian state and withdraw from territory is giving attack territory for Islamic extremists against the state of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu told nrg.
“Whoever ignores that is burying his head in the sand. The left is doing that, burying its head in the sand time after time,” he said. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Mr. Netanyahu said “indeed.”
