Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows: “There will be no Palestinian state” under his leadership

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no Palestinian state as long as he remains in power, making the issue a central dividing line ahead of Israel’s October 27 election.

“There will be no Palestinian state. There will not be one,” Netanyahu said. “Under me, there will not be one.” He argued that an opposition government would reverse what he described as his government’s achievements, withdraw from Israeli-held security zones and move toward establishing a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu also said Israel is “the nation-state of the Jewish people,” while adding that minorities in the country should be respected.

On Iran, Netanyahu said Israel had completed about “90% of the work” but argued that Tehran’s current political system would rebuild its nuclear ambitions unless it were removed. “I am committed to toppling this regime, and I know how to do it,” he said, adding that further stages remained.

Netanyahu said he would devote another term, if elected, to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He accused his political opponents of previously opposing attacks on Iran and framed the election as a choice over who would complete that objective and manage Israel’s relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

He also alleged that Iran and other actors would attempt to interfere in or influence Israel’s election by provoking security incidents. Netanyahu cited Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas among those he said wanted him defeated, but said he would not disclose intelligence details supporting his assessment.

Asked whether the election would proceed on schedule, Netanyahu said it would “as far as it depends on me,” while repeating his warning that outside actors could try to disrupt or influence the vote.