Yisrael Beyteinu Chairman visits sovereignty tent, tells authority heads: ‘We’ll support sovereignty in all Judea/Samaria communities.’
By Hezki Baruch, INN 06/02/20
Yesha mayors with Liberman
Yisrael Beyteinu Chairman Avigdor Liberman today visited the sovereignty tent of the heads of the Judea and Samaria Council and stated that he and his party would support sovereignty should the matter be brought to the Knesset.
“Let’s not lie to ourselves. Whatever we do now, nothing will happen after the election. If anyone builds on Netanyahu applying sovereignty over one grain of Judea and Samaria after the elections, he is wrong,” Liberman noted.
Liberman mentioned that his party had already proposed a few months ago to apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley but the Netanyahu government thwarted the law despite the consensus.
When the Yesha mayors called on him to join a government headed by Netanyahu and promote the issues, Liberman replied: “Like in Susiya and Khan al-Ahmar?” He related how Prime Minister Netanyahu prevented him from working to demolish the illegal outposts.
Liberman continued the attack on members of the Right-leaning coalition, and mentioned the failure of Shas in the Oslo agreements, the transfer of Hevron to the PA by Netanyahu, Netanyahu and other ministers’ supporting the disengagement, and the transfer of funds to Hamas: “Netanyahu and his entire coalition have no connection to the Right.
“I’ll join a government that really deals with the essence, not ancillary issues. What’s happening today in security, this government is incapable and does not want to deal with anything distracting. I sat in a cabinet meeting with Netanyahu and he torpedoed all measures against Hamas. He promised in 2009 to collapse their rule; today he funds Hamas. I resigned the same day that the Cabinet approved the arrangement with Hamas. So let them not preach morality to us,” Liberman attacked.
I’m not sure whether or not we can trust what Leiberman says. He is something of a losse cannon. Also, it is hard to see how he can promote annexation if he doesn’t join with the other right wing parties to form a government. He has made it clear he won’t do this, at least if the haredi parties are also included.
A Kehol Levon MP has now denied that the party would include the Arab parties in a government, or even form a “minority” government dependent on their votes. However, he is not one of the “Big Four” leaders of the Keho Lavan factions. This is part of a pattern recently where middle-ranking Kehol Lavon MKs, not the top leaders, announce their parties’ positions to the press, while the Big Four remain publicly silent. It may mean that they want to keep their options open, while reassuring their voters that they won’t do anything that they (the voters) will find unacceptable. In other words, they might be prevaricating by using their subordinates as spokesmen.
@ Bear Klein: Thanks, Bear. We seem to be in uncharted territory here.
@ Ted Belman:A siting Prime Minister does NOT have to reside under Israeli law. Only other ministers have to resign.
The unknown legal question is after Bibi’s temporary PM term is up. Assuming Israel can ever form a new government would he be able to become Prime Minister for a new term. That from what I have read is completely unknown.
@ Adam Dalgliesh:If I understand what you are asking, it is highly unlikely a retroactive immunity bill would be considered legally valid.
Two more brief questions. I recall reading that the Israeli Supreme Court has made rulings that an indicted individual cannot be granted immunity, even by the Knesset, and that even if the Knesset amended the law to grant immunity to all serving members of the Knesset, such a law would only apply to members who were indicted after this law was passed before it was passed. However I am not sure that there have been Supreme Court rulings about these possible developments,, or if this is just the opinion of some prominent Israeli lawyers, the Attorney General, etc. Again, anyone who could enlighten me as to these two issues, please do so.
@ greenrobot:
Bibi wants to pacify them.
But there remains a question. There is an Israeli law which requires a Minister to resign if indicted.. Now the Court will have to decide if that law applies to the Prime Minister.. Netanyahu can be barred from forming a government because the Court holds that the law applies to Prime Ministers as well.
@ Bear Klein: Thanks for refreshing my memory, Bear.
@ Adam Dalgliesh:
He withdrew his immunity request, on the same day he was in Washington DC last week. He has now been indicted.
This is a genuine question, not a rhetorical question. Do any of our readers or our webmaster know if the Knesset has voted on the question of Netanyahu’s immunity request yet? If not, has any date for a vote been set? This question is very important for being able to anticipate the likely outcome of the coming election.
Is there any reason to fund Hamas?