ultranationalist

It has long been a desire of the ultranationalist far right in Israel to expel Palestinians from the occupied territories and expand Jewish settlements in their place.

Much of Netanyahu's political base and the ultranationalist settler movement in Israel will champion President Trump's words, seeing them as the fulfilment of a means as Netanyahu puts it to stop "Gaza being a threat to Israel".

He cut through the delaying tactics that Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in alliance with his ultranationalist coalition partners, had used to avoid accepting the ceasefire deal that Joe Biden put on the negotiating table last May.

But the Israeli government denies that it plans to build settlements in Gaza once the war ends, and Dr Hecht dismissed such suggestions as nothing more than a "dream" for some ultranationalist ministers.

With 96% of votes counted, ultranationalist Calin Georgescu was on 22%, and Marcel Ciolacu, the prime minister, had 20%, according to the Central Electoral Bureau.