[Journalist] Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, we are hearing that there is a long list of people who want to inherit your job.

[Netanyahu] So what's new here? All kinds of people have personal ambition, and they can compete if they want to ...

[Journalist] Mr Prime Minister, I assume you are extremely concerned about what's happening in the Likud, when various leaders are about to leave the party and compete against you, while others intend to remain in the party and contest your leadership. Are you extremely concerned?

[Netanyahu] I am not concerned. We will win the confidence of the Likud voters because they too support our path, namely, a willingness to promote agreements on condition that the Palestinians comply. Some people reject any possibility of an agreement ...

[Journalist] Are you not concerned by the fact that [Likud spokesman and son of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin] Benny Begin and [former Finance Minister] Dan Meridor are leaving the party, that [Defence Minister] Yitzhak Mordechai is considering this option, and that [Communications Minister] Limor Livnat and [Likud spokesman] Uzi Landau will compete against you in the Likud?

[Netanyahu] I will answer each of your questions. I think Dan Meridor is motivated by personal ambition, although he uses all kinds of hypocritical and sanctimonious arguments.

Binyamin Netanyahu: The majority of the public will give me their support (in Hebrew)

However, this is an issue of pure personal ambition. He is crossing the lines; he is not going to a centrist party but is simply crossing the lines and going to the left.

It is possible that he went leftward many years ago, because in the political sphere his positions are extremely feeble and he is unwilling to stand firm and fight over things. I believe, however, that his possible joining of a party which is totally identified with the Labour Party simply means that he is going to the left.

As far as the others are concerned, there are some who will compete within the Likud and they are entitled to do so. I am convinced we will defeat them. Here too, however, this is a matter of personal ambition motivated by various factors ...

Everybody wants to be prime minister, well, we will let the voters decide who should lead this country.

They know very well that only I, as Likud leader, can lead this country and insist on things as we have done for the last two and a half years.