Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could occupy all of Gaza if Hamas did not disarm, and made remarks on Iran, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied West Bank in an interview with Channel 14, a television station close to his government.
Netanyahu argued that Israel’s mission in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria was not yet complete. Claiming that Israel faced new threats, Netanyahu also put Iran at the center of his remarks.
Claims about Iran’s nuclear program
Netanyahu claimed that Iran had not abandoned its nuclear program and argued that the government in Tehran was determined to restart it with the aim of producing an atomic bomb.
Netanyahu said that although Iran’s nuclear program had previously been set back, the threat had not been eliminated. He claimed that as long as he remained prime minister, he would not allow Tehran to restart the program.
Responding to a question about whether the Iranian government would be overthrown, Netanyahu claimed that Iran was in a weaker and more unstable position than before.
Threat to Gaza and opposition to a Palestinian state
Netanyahu said Israel would occupy all of Gaza if necessary should Hamas refuse to disarm.
Defending his refusal to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his opposition to allowing one in the future, Netanyahu also addressed attacks by Israelis who seize Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu described the Israelis carrying out these attacks as “a small number of young people” and downplayed the scale of the incidents. He said that the army, police and government were present in the area, using the words: “Do you want to enter a village? You cannot enter. It is not your business. There is an army there, there is police, there is a government.”
Netanyahu claimed that the seizure of Palestinian land and illegal settlement activity had been harmed by these attacks. He argued that the incidents had also damaged Israel’s reputation worldwide, and claimed that international media and the Israeli media had exaggerated the increasing attacks in the West Bank.
Criticism of the United Kingdom and the election race
Netanyahu also claimed that people in the United Kingdom were being summoned for questioning because of their social media posts, and criticized the government in London.
According to opinion polls, Netanyahu’s Likud Party is trailing the Yashar Party of former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot ahead of the elections scheduled for October 27.
Public commentary suggests that Netanyahu is conducting his election campaign through fear-based rhetoric and has hardened the tone of his statements in an effort to gain votes.
