JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza or the occupied West Bank for as long as he remains in office.
Netanyahu made the remarks in response to Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, who said a Palestinian state already exists and is recognized by most of the international community, while urging Israel and the United States to recognize it as well.
“As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state controlled by Iran, neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said, using the biblical term for the occupied West Bank.
Earlier Saturday, Abbas told his party’s general conference in the Arab city of Tayibe that the United Arab List was seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“The State of Palestine exists, and the world recognizes it,” Abbas said, calling on Washington and Tel Aviv to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu’s categorical rejection of Palestinian statehood comes ahead of Israel’s Knesset elections scheduled for Oct. 27, as opinion polls indicate that his Likud party and its coalition partners could struggle to secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
Likud, which currently holds 32 seats, has fallen significantly in recent surveys, with a poll released Friday putting the party at 20 seats.
A Channel 13 poll published Aug. 19 projected Likud and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies winning a combined 51 seats, 10 short of the threshold required to form a majority government.
Source: Saudi Gazette