Leaders abroad have argued Netanyahu\u2019s hardline approach \u2014 particularly since Hamas\u2019s October 7 onslaught \u2014 has not effectively addressed the threats Israel faces and has harmed opportunities for regional integration.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu:<\/p>\n
Let me tell you something: The war is never over. <\/p>\n
Do you want to live? In the Middle East, and in the world, you must be very strong. <\/p>\n
We are very strong. Israel is stronger than ever. pic.twitter.com\/VsSAtWxrzG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clash Report (@clashreport) June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,\u201d US Vice President JD Vance said in June, as he voiced frustration with Israel\u2019s policies in Lebanon and with the criticism voiced by far-right members of Netanyahu\u2019s government regarding Washington\u2019s deal to end the war with Iran.\n<\/p>\n Saudi officials have also repeatedly<\/a> made clear that they have no interest in normalizing relations with Israel absent Jerusalem agreeing to establish an irreversible pathway toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n But Netanyahu was unfazed on Tuesday, insisting that additional peace deals between Israel and its neighbors are still possible, even as he made opposition to a Palestinian state a condition for parties joining the \u201cbroad national government\u201d he said he is seeking to form after the fall election.<\/p>\n Asked to specify which countries he expects to reach peace agreements with, and whether they include Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu declined to name them but insisted several countries are in contention, including Lebanon: \u201cI\u2019m not naming names because I want to deliver results. But everyone will see them\u2026 There are understandings with Lebanon that nobody foresaw. There are contacts with other countries as well. I can\u2019t elaborate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re strong, people form alliances with you, and they make peace with you as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t Asked if there will be a third confrontation with Iran after wars in June 2025 and earlier this year, Netanyahu replied: \u201cIf necessary,\u201d repeating his vow that, \u201cas long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n On Gaza, he was asked whether past proposals for the \u201cvoluntary emigration\u201d of Gazans remain under consideration after being roundly rejected by much of the international community, which accused backers of the idea of trying to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinians. Netanyahu declined to elaborate, saying: \u201cI prefer to talk less and do more.\u201d<\/p>\n He was similarly noncommittal when asked about the prospect of renewed Israeli settlement in Gaza, saying only that \u201csometimes it\u2019s advisable to separate\u201d actions from public statements, and that \u201ctherefore, I have nothing further to add on that matter.\u201d In the past, he has ruled out Gaza settlements, but appears to be adapting his public stance as elections approach.<\/p>\n Netanyahu said Israel achieved two of three Gaza war aims: returning the hostages and eliminating Hamas as a military threat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first objective, of course, was to bring back all of our hostages. And we achieved that,\u201d he says, without noting that some hostages were killed in captivity or died before being recovered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe second objective was to dismantle Hamas and ensure that Gaza would no longer pose a military threat to Israel. And at the moment, it doesn\u2019t,\u201d he added, pointing out that there was no military response from Hamas after the recent assassination of its top official, Izz al-Din al-Haddad. However, an unsourced Israel TV report this week<\/a> said the IDF is concerned that Hamas\u2019s military wing is preparing for renewed war with Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in control. We are squeezing them. We also had a third objective, and that objective has not yet been achieved: eliminating their civilian rule. We will get there. There is still work to do. But there are constant operations targeting those who participated in October 7,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cwe will find\u201d anyone who remains who planned or participated in the attack.<\/p>\n \t Netanyahu was also asked about growing concern in Jerusalem over an allegedly expanded Egyptian military footprint in the Sinai Peninsula, which Jerusalem is said to claim violates the demilitarization clauses of their 1979 peace treaty with Cairo.<\/p>\n \u201cI have held discussions with the Egyptians, and I told them what I expect to be done. Part of it is already being carried out. These are matters that simply involve upholding the agreements between us,\u201d he said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need to safeguard our borders. But we must understand: as one power declines, another power rises. That is always the way things work. And the power that must continue rising \u2014 and to rise faster \u2014 is the State of Israel,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n Haredim, far-right will be part of government I form; judicial overhaul will resume<\/p>\n On Saturday, Netanyahu issued his first call of the election season for the formation of a broad national government<\/a>, after establishing what has widely been considered the most right-wing government in Israel\u2019s history following the previous election in 2022.<\/p>\n The stance was voiced following months of polls that showed Netanyahu\u2019s narrow bloc of right-wing and Orthodox parties falling well below the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.<\/p>\n But in his Tuesday interview, Netanyahu elaborated on the type of unity government he wants to form next, insisting that it would still include the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that make up his current government.<\/p>\n \u201cI want a broad national government\u2026 We are facing major challenges and major opportunities. In a situation like this, you want the broadest possible consensus you can achieve. That doesn\u2019t mean unity, because you won\u2019t achieve complete unity. Not the entire country will line up behind you. But you can broaden the base,\u201d the premier said, in response to a panelist asking why he would consider allowing political opponents to join his coalition.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government I intend to form will be based on clear principles. Whoever accepts those principles can join,\u201d he said, outlining them as: \u201cIsrael is the nation-state of the Jewish people; there will not be a Palestinian state here; we have a proactive security policy \u2014 we do not wait, and we do not hide behind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that \u201cwe will also continue judicial reforms,\u201d an issue that sparked deep divisions in Israeli society before the war in Gaza, though he did not specify what elements of the contentious overhaul he intends to pursue.<\/p>\n Netanyahu on Channel 14: <\/p>\n I want a broad national government because we face great challenges and great opportunities. This is not unity because unity will not be achieved. pic.twitter.com\/e8Sibi9YEc<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20250512__46EM6Y2__v1__HighRes__IsraelUsPalestinianConflict-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA billboard bearing a picture depicting US President Donald Trump shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the slogan \u201chistory won\u2019t wait\u201d is seen on the facade of a hotel building in Jerusalem on May 12, 2025. (Ahmad GHARABLI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26171736727746-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tTents of displaced Palestinians occupy the field of the Yarmouk soccer stadium that was damaged during the Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City, on June 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n
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