Netanyahu Vows: No Palestinian State As Long As He Remains PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to block the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza or the occupied West Bank for as long as he remains in office. His remarks came in response to United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas, who said Palestine already exists as a state and is recognized by the majority of the world.
Abbas also called on Israel and the United States to recognize Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu responded: “As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state under Iranian control.”
Speaking earlier at his party’s general conference in the Arab town of Tayibe on Saturday, Abbas said his party was working toward peace between Israel and Palestine, reiterating that “the Palestinian state exists and the world recognizes it,” while urging Washington and Tel Aviv to do the same.
Netanyahu’s comments come ahead of Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, with polls indicating his Likud party and its allies will fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a government. Likud, which currently holds 32 seats, has been slipping in recent surveys — a Friday poll projected it winning just 20 seats. A Channel 13 survey published August 19 forecast that Likud and its far-right, ultra-nationalist allies would win a combined 51 seats — 10 short of a parliamentary majority.