Netanyahu vows no Palestinian state if he wins reelection

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, on the eve of his country’s elections, that he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state if reelected.

“I think that anyone who moves to establish a Palestinian state and evacuate territory gives territory away to radical Islamist attacks against Israel,” Netanyahu told NRG, a news website owned by pro-Israel Republican donor Sheldon Adelson.

{mosads}”The left has buried its head in the sand time and after time and ignores this, but we are realistic and understand,” he added, according to the translation from Haaretz.

The Times of Israel reported that when asked if he meant that if reelected “there will be no Palestinian state,” Netahanyu answered, “indeed.”

The comments come with Netanyahu trailing in many polls and were seen by Israeli election observers as an effort to shore up his support among conservative voters.

The remarks are a change of course from 2009, when he said he could foresee a peace deal that included the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state under certain conditions.

Netanyahu’s election will be closely watched in the United States. The Israeli leader has been a tough critic of the administration’s role in international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu last month delivered an address to Congress at the invitation of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warning against any deal with Iran. Many Democrats skipped the speech which sparked a partisan firestorm.