Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday night at the Likud election headquarters at Tel Aviv Expo and called on those present to wait for the true results of the elections to the 22nd Knesset.
Netanyahu, whose voice was hoarse, said, “I’d rather lose my voice than lose the country.”
"At this time, the State of Israel needs a Zionist government," Netanyahu declared. "There will not be and cannot be a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties that deny the very existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Parties that glorify and praise the bloodthirsty terrorists who murder our soldiers, our citizens.”
"I spoke this evening with all the Likud’s partners in the right-wing camp. All of them expressed an unequivocal commitment to going together,” he added.
"In the coming days, we will enter into negotiations to establish a strong Zionist government and to prevent a dangerous anti-Zionist government," the Prime Minister noted.
Netanyahu thanked his family, the Likud members and party activists. "I came here tonight with my wife Sara to say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We love you, we believe in you! We have all gone through an unbelievably difficult election campaign, and I would like to first thank the Likud ministers, the Likud Knesset members, we acted shoulder to shoulder, stood together in unity in the election campaign and will stand together in the face of the tasks ahead. For the Likud and for the State of Israel.”
"We withstood the campaign that was so biased against us by the media, so unfair! But it did not deter us, it did not stop us, we acted together and brought about achievements that are unbelievable in the face of such unilateralism. And I want to thank you, you did it."
Netanyahu noted that “one thing is clear - the State of Israel is at a historical point in time. We face tremendous opportunities and face great challenges. Security and political challenges, most notably the existential threat posed to Israel from Iran and its metastases and we are fighting them tirelessly and fearlessly! In recent years, we have brought defensive strength, economic prosperity and political prosperity that are unparalleled in Israeli history.”
“We must ensure that these achievements, that we all worked hard to achieve, are maintained in the years to come. In the near future, my friend President Trump's ‘Deal of the Century’ will be presented and the way that negotiations with the President are handled will shape the future of the State of Israel for generations. At this time, for all these purposes, Israel needs a strong government, a stable government, a Zionist government! A government committed to Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people!”