T. Belman. On Jerusalem day Netanyahu promised to build in Jerusalem and keep it undivided. We’ll see how that works out. He also said he was intent on restarting the peace process. I can understand this because participating in a peace process helps to alleviate the pressure on him. But on no condition should he make any gestures or agree to a frame work that supports ’67 lines plus swaps.
Holding deputy defense minister position was one of Habayit Hayehudi’s key achievements – losing responsibility for approving settlement construction would gut it.
Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan will not be responsible for approving construction in the territories, a Likud source said Sunday. Such a decision would gut one of Habayit Hayehudi’s key achievements in the coalition negotiations.
Ben-Dahan’s powers haven’t yet been defined; he is supposed to meet with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to settle this issue in the coming days. But the Likud source said the power to approve construction in Jewish settlements would remain in Ya’alon’s hands.
Habayit Hayehudi has few achievements to show on the issue of settlements. The party lost the Housing Ministry to Kulanu; the coalition agreements don’t call for construction in the West Bank or Jerusalem; and last week, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ruled that the agreements’ promise to increase state funding for the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division couldn’t be implemented.
But as the deadline for forming the coalition neared, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered the party the post of deputy defense minister, with responsibility for the Civil Administration in the West Bank. The administration has authority over planning and construction in both the settlements and Palestinian towns in Area C, the part of the West Bank under full Israeli control. It’s also responsible for coordination with the Palestinian Authority.
If approving new construction will still require Ya’alon’s approval, however, the post will be much less valuable to Habayit Hayehudi.
MK Omer Bar-Lev (Zionist Union) on Sunday wrote Ya’alon urging him not to transfer any powers to Ben-Dahan, in light of the latter’s avowed support for expanding settlements and annexing territory. The appointment, he said, is a “substantive, diplomatic and public relations catastrophe.”
Another one of those decisions that dont seem to make sense….except
lets look for clues:
Notice the top threat, not the nuclear Iran but Iran’s jihadis: Hezbullah. Notice that the sunni jihadis sent by the GCC are not considered a threat.
I have been saying for years that this already existed before POD when BB did NOT enter gaza after targeting Iranian elements in gaza, which I believe was also in the interests of the GCC to wean hamas off iran and back into GCC influence. Qatar brokered the truce, Qatar has remained the liaison of the GCC with the brotherhood, the quarrels with qatar were faked, qatar is overtly back in the picture for future development of gaza as it was after POD. I predicted the GCC/qatar schism was fake and that qatar would be back in line with the GCC. Of significance is that Qatar has always negotiated directly with Israel over everything it does in Gaza, seeking Israels approval. I submit that Israel and Qatar are on the same page now and were before.
As I have been saying,this “translating the partnership into peace” has already been in effect since POD. It was the shadow which affected every decision of BB which seemed strange except when seen in the light of these understandings(POD, 9 mos fake talks, prisoner release, protective edge, GCC proxy Egypt cooperation with Israel leashing hamas, etc.) If we look at future decisions of BB and see if they are congruent with these potential understandings then this will be further authenticated. (E.g. BB’s handling of the PA, gaza, reflect cooperation.. ignore the rhetoric and the UN, ICC,etc these are to give the pals a feeling of fighting for something just like the Israeli right wing get BB’s fighting for jerusalem, with holding taxes, etc.)
what could he possibly mean by the word “responsible”? its vague enough to mean all things to all people. In any regard he appears to have said that the negotiations are linked with the gulf arabs(GCC) and therefore if that is true then there is likely an envisioned land giveaway. Perhaps BB believes he can get a better deal with the GCC, after all they don’t really give a damn about the pals except wrt their street.
Ted, I said that if BB failed to give BY any real authority with regards to settlements that this would be the end of a 3 year sitting on the fence with BB and giving him the benefit of the doubt. I have now gone over the fence that BB is not right wing with regards to Jewish settlements. I told you that he has moved the discussion of Jews settlement to focus on Jerusalem and you felt this was necessary to concentrate energy.
I believe you are wrong. the same energy that the foreigners will bring to bear on the Jerusalem issue will be no less than on YS as a whole. the foreigners will be allowed by BB to continue their sabotage of Jewish settlement and aid arab settlement while Jeiwsh settlemnt is frozen defacto by BB. BB has now distracted attention off Jewish settlement in YS and focused it on Jerusalem. He will be seen to be fighting for the Jews in Jerusalem while he under the table allows the erosion of YS. Why should Jerusalem be the subject of any struggle, since Israel already annexed it decades ago. BB now has the Jews “scared” of building in annexed Jerusalem so that the heat is taken off him in YS. And you Ted, have bought into the peanut shell game which he maneuvered. If BB had any intention of settlement in YS he would have given BY some authority and power in that regard. Already you have bought into abandoning YS for the canard of needing to conserve that energy to focus on Jerusalem. Think carefully, Jerusalem was already annexed…. could you imagine annexing YS and still having all the same arguments within Israel over settling it? It is a canard that energy needs to be directed to Jerusalem at the expense of YS. I say the reverse that fighting for YS Jewish settlement brings the focus off Jewish settlement in Jerusalem. That the euros will not lessen their attacks because the Jews have abandoned YS but that they will simply focus all their attacks on Jerusalem while being allowed to settle arabs in YS under the table. I believe that BB is in agreement with euro efforts in YS.
It is absurd that a right wing PM has fooled everyone into fighting for that which was already annexed. If Israel must struggle, fight, argue, over that which it already annexed, then what about golan, Tel aviv??? Notice that I did not mention YS because if BB tells you that Israel must struggle, argue and fight to build in annexed Jerusalem then obviously un-annexed YS has been flushed down the drain by BB, it is removed from attention, from focus and from settlement. Under BB jewish settlement in YS outside of major blocks is dead.
I have said for a couple of years that BB’s understandings with the GCC have colored all his decisions but I gave him a benefit of a doubt regarding YS. Now I no longer give that benefit based purely on the facts that I predicted would make me decide. when he pulled the trick on Bennett to steal Bennett’s votes I said lets see what appointments he makes and what power they have. I said that if Bennett is given no power over the main issue he represents then BB is not who right wing voters believe. Those who voted for him thinking he would be good for Jewish settlement in YS are wrong but they will now be distracted to Jerusalem and like predictable fools will not see the trick. Jewish settlement in YS will only be in the major settlement blocks to be kept which indicates a desire to give land in YS to the pals.
I believe that BB, the GCC and Abbas have been cooperating both in the Iran issues and the negotiations. That we have been witnessing a put on drama. that the negotiations were meant to fail to maintain a status quo that all the 3 players prefer during the Iran issue. The prisoners were released so that abbas would not be assassinated when the talks “failed”. Every minute taxes are withheld over a “drama” and then paid for abbas not doing something. Its a repetitive load of baloney in my opinion, a show meant to keep those against an envisioned settlement down the road distracted with a punch and judy show. Meanwhile, the street on both sides is being moved over time to the center in their thinking. We just witnessed that strategy with BB’s focusing the right on a “fight for Jerusalem”.
We allowed Mr. Netanyahu to win an election he was about to lose. Any question on this?
Now. Mr. Netanyahu, we also can and will change that quite fast. Flopping with Livni and Hertzog will not be a way for you to remain.
Bottom line. Ya’alon must go. He also intentionally failed to perform against Hamas as we demanded.
Drop that item and select the correct elected civilian for that job.