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Netanyahu refuses to rule out early elections
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the door open to early elections at a press conference yesterday to announce the appointment of Amir Yaron as Governor of the Bank of Israel.
The Prime Minister, who answered a large number of questions at a rare press conference said: “I cannot say if there will be elections because we are making an effort to resolve the draft problem and other problems … if we find the way, we will be happy to continue until the end of next year; that will give us almost five years. If not, we’ll have to hold elections.”
Netanyahu also downplayed the possibility of being indicted for corruption and bribery, saying: “I don’t think that this question is a practical one because I don’t think there will be an indictment.” When asked whether he could use his parliamentary immunity to avoid being prosecuted, he added: “I haven’t yet addressed this, but I don’t think that I will have to.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he didn’t think it’ll be long until the security services catch Ashraf Na’alowa, the Palestinian who killed two Israelis at the Barkan Industrial site on Sunday. “It is hard to describe the viciousness and brutality of tying up a woman and shooting her. We will catch him and bring him to trial,” he said.
On Gaza, Netanyahu said his government is trying to reach an agreement to restore quiet and security to the Gaza periphery communities. He said he is “not eager to start an unnecessary war” but “if there is no choice, sometimes you have to fight with all your might,” adding that “the path that I am taking and that the security cabinet has backed, is the right path”. He blamed the Palestinian Authority’s financial cuts to the Gaza Strip for the deteriorating situation.
The Prime Minister was asked if he intended to limit Israeli Air Force activity in Syria now that S-300 missiles have been deployed there. He replied: “I think that with wise actions and with good will we can reach a solution that will make it possible to continue the good cooperation between the Russian army and the IDF.”