Germany's Chancellor Merz on Israel:

We stand with Israel, and we stand against anyone in Germany who questions the State of Israel's right to exist.

Nothing has changed about that.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

In Germany's capital, recognition of Israel's right to exist should be so self-evident that it is no longer even discussed.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

We stand against anyone in Germany who believes antisemitism must once again be made socially acceptable.

In the swamp of the right, in the salons of the left, in culture or wherever else.

Antisemitism has no place in Germany, and that will remain the case. We will do everything to prevent it from spreading further in our country.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

I claim for myself, and not everyone has to agree, that the German chancellor is once again playing the role in the European Union and beyond that a German chancellor must play.

I do not shy away when it comes to assuming responsibility in Europe.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

My firm assessment is that large parts of the younger generation, young men and young women, are prepared to perform such service for our society, including compulsory service.

I see and hear this again and again from visitor groups in Berlin.

I often hold votes. Who among you is in favor and who is against? As a rule, I get majorities of two-thirds or three-quarters.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

We have introduced this new military service on a voluntary basis, and I do not want to prejudge the assessment we will make next year.

But it is not without reason, and largely at the initiative of the Junge Union, that we included the reintroduction of compulsory military service in our party's basic program.

We all increasingly have the feeling that it cannot work without such an obligation.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

Yes, if someone accuses me of having seen and said things differently before the election, that is true.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

At the end of a legislative term, everything is added up and the record is assessed.

We have only been in office for 17 months.

Netanyahu on Iran:

We've done 90% of the work. But you know, it's like cancer. If you don't eliminate this regime in Iran, it will come back.

It will try again to acquire nuclear weapons. That's what it wants.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

We will not rebuild this country through government action alone.

We need people who take action themselves, who start companies, conduct research, invest and get things done.

People who do not just ask what the state can do for them, but also what contribution they themselves can make for all of us.

Netanyahu on Iran:

I am committed to toppling this regime, and I know how to do it.

We've come a long way, but there are still stages to complete.

Netanyahu on Iran:

The opposition candidate opposed the idea of attacking Iran. He said it was a mistake. He said we had to learn to live with a nuclear Iran.

I will never live with a nuclear Iran.

I have dedicated my life, and I will dedicate my next term as well, God willing, if I am elected, to ensuring once and for all that this does not happen.

Netanyahu on Iran:

The question isn't how to do it, because I can't detail everything.

The question is: who will do it? That's the question in these elections.

The only person who will do it is me.

Netanyahu:

Who will work with Trump over the next two years? Who will do it? Gadi Eisenkot?

Will he stand on international stages? Will he convince Congress? Will he convince the leaders of the U.S. administration?

And what happens after two years if, God forbid, a president who is very hostile to Israel comes to power? Will he know how to withstand those pressures?

Netanyahu:

They want to disrupt the elections, or at least influence them.

All of Israel's enemies say it openly: from Mamdani in New York, through Erdogan in Istanbul, through the ayatollahs in Iran, through Hezbollah in Lebanon, through Hamas in Gaza, and of course Mansour Abbas and Mahmoud Abbas.

They all say the same thing: Netanyahu must lose.

Why do they say that? Why are they working to make us lose?

Because they don't want what's good for Israel. They want the destruction of Israel.

All of Israel's enemies are united on this. It's a fact. They're saying it openly.

Netanyahu:

There will be an attempt to interfere in the elections. At least we're seeing indications of that.

They'll try to create security incidents to convince the Israeli public that our achievements aren't so great.

I can certainly elaborate, but I'm not going to. I don't think there's any point in exposing our intelligence sources.

Netanyahu:

They explicitly declare that they want to eliminate me. Incidentally, they want to eliminate other senior officials as well.

We will do everything necessary.

Until now, we've eliminated them. They haven't eliminated us.

Q: Can you reassure us that, as far as it depends on you, the elections will take place as scheduled?

Netanyahu: Of course, as far as it depends on me. But they want to disrupt the elections, or at least influence them.

Netanyahu:

The opposition will cancel all our tremendous achievements, establish a Palestinian state, withdraw from all the security zones, give in to every pressure, and certainly not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons once and for all.

Netanyahu:

Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people.

There are minorities here. We respect them.

But this is the nation-state of the Jewish people, with our flag and our national anthem.