Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that no Palestinian state controlled by Iran will be established in Gaza or the West Bank as long as he remains prime minister, while using the issue to attack political opponents ahead of Israel’s October 27 election.
Netanyahu made the declaration in a series of posts, reiterating his longstanding opposition to Palestinian statehood and accusing opposition figures of being prepared to form a coalition with Arab political forces.
“As long as I am Prime Minister, no Palestinian state controlled by Iran will arise: not in Gaza, and not in Judea and Samaria. Period.”
The Israeli leader also criticised what he described as a potential left-wing coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan of working with supporters of Arab political parties.
Netanyahu repeated his warning against a Palestinian state in another post on Saturday, claiming that his political rivals would establish one if they succeeded in forming the next government.
“The truth they’re trying to hide is revealed time and again.”
He specifically claimed that Eisenkot, Lieberman and Golan would form a left-wing government with Mansour Abbas, which he said would lead to the establishment of what he described as a dangerous Palestinian state.
Netanyahu urged his supporters to vote for his Likud party, arguing that doing so was the only way to prevent such an outcome.
He returned to the issue on Sunday, again linking Eisenkot with Golan and Abbas.
“Even Eizenkot knows he has no government without Yair Golan and Abbas, who will establish a Palestinian state – it must not be allowed to happen.”
The comments come as Eisenkot, a leading opposition figure and chairman of the Yashar party, explores possible coalition arrangements ahead of the October 27 election.
Recent reports have focused on the possibility of an opposition government relying on Arab lawmakers or political parties to form a coalition.
Netanyahu’s latest remarks therefore combine his opposition to Palestinian statehood with an electoral appeal to Likud supporters, as he seeks to portray his political rivals as a threat to his position on the issue.
