Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely promises Likud rebellion over Netanyahu’s ‘political acrobatics’ in interview with Arutz Sheva.Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud Beytenu) spoke to Arutz Sheva about Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett’s criticism of a proposal to have Jews live under the Palestinian Authority (PA). Hotovely defended the statements as legitimate criticism.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office floated out the proposal Sunday, and later claimed it did so to reveal the PA’s “true face,” as PA Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat rejected the idea the same day.
Netanyahu reportedly is furious with Bennett for expressing criticism, leading to a crisis between the two that threatens the coalition government.
Hotovely began by refusing to discuss the Bennett-Netanyahu schism, calling it “mere gossip.” Instead she spoke about the recently revealed details of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace proposal, which would create a Palestinian state along the 1949 Armistice lines and make a PA capital in “East Jerusalem.”
The MK said the “dangerous and destructive plan that we’re making great strides towards” is unacceptable in the Likud as well.
Hotovely confirmed reports that she and other Likud MKs plan to “rebel” against Netanyahu in the near future to stop the plan. She reports that the “rebels” in fact constitute an overwhelming majority of the Likud who “oppose all plans of a loss of Israeli sovereignty, and from there we will start a systematicpolitical organization.”
“We’ll give the prime minister a clear message that these are things that will not be heard in Likud policy,” warned Hotovely.
Asked about the silence of government ministers in response to the proposal of Jews living under the PA, Hotovely said she wasn’t sure if they were afraid of losing their positions or thought the proposal was just spin that could be ignored.
Hotovely called the idea of leaving Jews under the PA “something opposing all our basic principles that we will defend ourselves and that this is our homeland that we don’t intend to split with any other people. Therefore I expect that ministers will express opposition to these ideas, even if they’re just ideas.”
‘Netanyahu’s tactics erodes the basic ideology that voted him in’
The Likud minister expressed support for Bennett’s criticism of Netanyahu, saying those who respond to ideas of this sort early on is doing the right thing.
“In a reality in which negotiations are being held very secretly without any public transparency, we have to do everything every time there’s a leak,” Hotovely said. “It’s important to attack these ideas while they’re still small and young, and not wait for them to get a political and public hold, then we’ll find ourselves in the middle of a division of the country.”
Hotovely also offered her opinion on Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz’s (Likud Beytenu) suggestion that Bennett apologize to Netanyahu because an “agreement will never be reached.” In her words, the suggestion is mistaken.
“I think everyone, even a minister in the Israeli government, has the right to criticize positions of the government,” commented Hotovely. She added that Israel has time and again used tactics that lead to a destructive strategy.
Responding to Netanyahu’s claim that the proposal was a tactic to expose the PA’s “true face,” Hotovely fired back, saying “there’s no need for political juggling and acrobatics to prove to the world” that Abbas is demanding the release of murderers as part of the peace talks, doesn’t recognize the state of Israel, “and declared the Palestine will be judenrein (free of Jews).”
“There’s no need to take of the mask. There is no mask,” said Hotovely. “Every process like this that the prime minister calls a tactic erodes the basic ideology that caused the people in Israel to choose him to lead this country.”
‘We have to put limitations on the negotiations’
When asked whether Netanyahu was responsible for the proposals, or if he was being possibly misrepresented by someone close to him, Hotovely said “the one responsible for what comes from the prime minister’s table is the prime minister.”
Hotovely reasoned that particularly given the large US pressure on Netanyahu to concede to the plans, it was very important to present to him political limitations to restrict his ability to submit to external pressure.
“Not every tactical step justifies the peace talks. I don’t think that the negotiations are essential for the state of Israel,” stated Hotovely. Before the negotiations “we didn’t see a tsunami of boycotts. In the reality of the changing Middle East the state of Israel must guard its values and borders, and from my opposition to a division of the land I oppose all ideas that are currently on the negotiating table.”
Let us be honest: the US & EU have 2 powerful instruments to blackmail Israel: economic sanctions and the refusal to provide replacement ordinance in case of a prolonged hot war. Then of course what goes on in the so called international organizations controlled by Muslims and antisemites in the EU & US.
Hotovely is right. Bibi should stop to undermine himself because this undermines Israel. One day he may be outsmarted by the “hudna” principle or treachery.
With all the furor caused by Netanyahu’s floated idea about Israelis remaining in place in a new Palestinian state, it is puzzling that all the angry denunciations coming from even Netanyahu’s own party are directed only at him and not against Obama/Kerry who are obviously twisting Israel’s arm to the breaking point.
Then again, look what happened to Likud member and Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon when he uttered his critical comment last week or so about Kerry to the effect that Kerry is operating from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism and that the only thing he might do to save Israel is to go home.
Yaalon was forced to apologize to Kerry, who must have an exceptionally thin skin. Forced by whom and what drastic threat was slung Yaalon’s way to get him to apologize?
It must be a whole lot safer for Israelis, politically speaking to take their anger out only on Netanyahu for even a hint that he is bending to Obama/Kerry pressure to make concessions that jeopardize Israel’s rights and interests, rather than against Obama/Kerry who are applying that pressure.
If so, what exact pressures/threats are Obama/Kerry putting on Netanyahu/Israel that not only forces Netanyahu to bend to their will and offer concessions to Palestinians that are not just painful, but existentially threatening to Israel and at the same time, forces Netayahu’s Ministers and closest cabinet advisers to either say nothing or if they do object, to direct their objections and anger only at Netanyahu?
The Israeli media only report on what concessions Netanyahu has made or hints at making, the angry opposition voiced by members of his own party including his cabinet ministers and the consequential credibility and loss of support issues Netanyahu faces that jeopardizes his own political fortunes, but fail to address the exact pressures/threats Obama/Kerry put on Netanyahu and Israel.
There is something very wrong with this picture that sees both Netanyahu’s critics and the media leaving reference to the pressures/threats on Netanyahu/Israel, let alone the precise threats/pressures, out of their criticisms or reporting.
Her comments underscore Netanyahu has no real support for any territorial withdrawal deal – and the Palestinian Arabs are not even predisposed to give him a fig leaf to sell it.
Plus his trial balloon has no real support in the Cabinet.
Naftali Bennett is right given the realities of who the Arabs are, a Palestinian Arab state with a Jewish minority is tantamount to wishing pigs can fly. Netanyahu’s trying to provoke a coalition crisis to humiliate Bennett doesn’t change at this basic fact of Middle East life.
And the peace agreement train will never arrive at the station.
Eric R. Said:
Likud.
Is Hotovely part of the Likud portion of L-B, or part of the Beytenu portion?