Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Israel must maintain security control of all territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. Speaking at a state memorial ceremony for Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Netanyahu said: "Jabotinsky established the principle of the iron wall, that our existence here depends first and foremost on our strength and willingness to defend ourselves with our own forces. This principle shapes our policies to this day."
He added: "The fundamental condition for our existence here is that security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan must remain in our hands. This does not mean that we cannot reach arrangements with our neighbors or that we want to rule over others, but security control must stay in our hands."