A confident Netanyahu lauds coalition achievements, rejects talk of early elections

RELATED TOPICS BENJAMIN NETANYAHUISRAELI ELECTIONSEHUD BARAK “I am not afraid of going to elections, but I am not rushing to hold them yet either,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a pre- Independence Day interview to Army Radio Sunday.

The prime minister lauded his government’s stability, asserting it has yielded many positive results for the country. Netanyahu said coalition instability can endanger those results, but that he is confident that if elections are forced on him, he will prevail. “For now the coalition is stable and I don’t believe we will find ourselves holding elections this summer,” he said.

At the end of the 10-minute interview, which dealt with matters ranging from the Iranian nuclear threat to violence on the soccer pitch, Netanyahu conceded that while the country is not perfect, it is open and has the tools to correct any and all ills.

Netanyahu also took the opportunity to support his defense minister, Ehud Barak, who has recently come under harsh attacks from right-wing elements, including ministers and MKs from Netanyahu’s Likud party for his policies regarding illegal West Bank construction.

“Ehud Barak is a defense minister executing government policy. There are no private policies here and we are cooperating on very serious security matters, in the West Bank and in the world,” said Netanyahu. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 04/24/12)