Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not create a Palestinian state if his Likud party comes to power in the elections, the voting for which will be held on Tuesday.
Seen as a last-ditch attempt to ensure right-wing voters do not stray towards the Zionist Union, Netanyahu said on Monday that creating a Palestinian state will mean giving away territory to 'radical Islamists', according to Haaretz.
"I think that anyone who moves to establish a Palestinian state and evacuate territory gives territory away to radical Islamist attacks against Israel. The left has buried its head in the sand time and after time and ignores this, but we are realistic and understand," he told the NRG website ahead of the polls.
However, Netanyahu seems to have backtracked on his support to the two state principle that he voiced in 2009.
He had supported the idea of a demilitarised Palestinian state, which would also recognise Israel's territorial rights.
The Zionist Union, on the other hand, has called for a two-state solution and has assured better relations with Palestinians.
Most polls have predicted that the centre-left Zionist Union will grab more seats than Likud in the 2015 polls, but it is still to be seen how the former will make a coalition to form the next government.
