Netanyahu scrambles to calm seething coalition after settlement evacuation

Jewish Home lawmakers threaten to dismantle government over police takeover of Beit El project; PM says he’ll fight demolition order

BY ELIE LESHEM, TOI

Israeli security forces drag away a Jewish settler who came to demonstrate an evacuation at the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank town of Ramallah, July 28, 2015 (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to quell a budding coalition crisis Tuesday morning, as members of the pro-settler Jewish Home party threatened to hobble, or even topple, his government over its move to clear out illegally built structures in the West Bank.

“We’re acting to bolster the settlements, and we’re doing so in accordance with the law,” Netanyahu said in a statement hours after hundreds of Israel Police special forces stormed the buildings in the Dreinoff neighborhood of the settlement of Beit El, north of Jerusalem.

Settler demonstrators had barricaded themselves in an attempt to prevent the implementation of a High Court of Justice decision ordering the demolition of the structures, and some 50 were detained after scuffles with police.

“Our stance regarding the houses in Beit El is clear,” Netanyahu continued. “We are opposed to demolishing them and are pursuing judicial courses to prevent such a step. I will request that the government’s stance, to the effect that the planning process at the site has been concluded and that there is thus no need to demolish the houses, will be brought before the High Court of Justice as well.”

The human rights group Yesh Din had filed the case with the High Court to get the neighborhood — named after its developer, Meir Dreinoff — demolished on the grounds that it was situated on privately owned Palestinian land.

A senior defense official said Tuesday morning that the status of the Dreinoff neighborhood was still up in the air, and that the state would only demolish the structures if the Supreme Court turned back appeals against its own decision.

“Since the construction of 24 housing units at the site was approved by the Civil Administration, and following residents’ appeal to the High Court of Justice on the matter, in an effort to prevent the demolition, it will only be carried out if the High Court orders it,” the official said. “We’re still in the midst of a judicial process.”

Despite the assurances that the court’s decision to demolish the buildings was not a fait accompli, ministers and lawmakers on the right flank of Netanyahu’s coalition – most of them members of the Jewish Home party – reacted with indignation to the evacuation of the site.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads Jewish Home, invoked the pullout from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, which saw thousands of Israeli settlers removed from their homes.

“Ten years on from the disengagement, someone has forgotten that, this time around, the nationalist camp possesses public and political power,” he said in a statement that also singled out Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon for excoriation over his failure “to soothe” the situation.

Ya’alon, for his part, said he was “opposed” to the slated demolition and promised that he would do his utmost to avert it.

Bennett, according to the statement, spoke with Netanyahu and demanded he announce that the government had no intention of carrying out the court’s demolition order.

Other members of Bennett’s party issued more pugnacious statements, including Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, who, in an interview with Israel Radio, would not rule out the option of bolting the coalition should the demolition go ahead.

Knesset member Moti Yogev, like Ariel a member of the hardline Tkuma faction within Jewish Home, also threatened to dismantle Netanyahu’s coalition, saying, “If the Dreinoff houses are destroyed, there will be courts in Israel but there may not be a government.”

The coalition currently features a razor-thin 61-59 majority, so it could tumble down if even part of one of its constituent parties were to bolt.

Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, which manages governmental matters in the West Bank, retroactively approved the structures, but the Supreme Court rejected the motion on Sunday.

Jewish Home Knesset members party and settlement leaders sharply criticized Netanyahu earlier this month over reports of a de facto West Bank construction freeze, threatening in a letter to Likud members to impose sanctions on the government.

The letter was penned after an emergency meeting last week, convened in response to claims that the prime minister had decided to freeze settlement development in the West Bank and in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to demolish the Dreinoff neighborhood.

The threat to sabotage Netanyahu’s coalition was reiterated Tuesday by another Jewish Home MK, Bezalel Smotrich, who said in a tweet that “the government won’t topple, but it is certainly possible that it won’t pass any more motions in this session,” which ends in August.

Criticism of the evacuation of the buildings wasn’t limited to the Jewish Home party, however.

Immigrant Absorption Minister Ze’ev Elkin of Netanyahu’s Likud party said that he condemned “the nocturnal evacuation” of the settlers, and called on Ya’alon to complete the process of retroactively approving the construction of the buildings.

“Nothing is more absurd than demolishing buildings that can be rebuilt one minute later,” he said in a statement. “These days, when we painfully commemorate the expulsion from Gush Katif [in the Gaza Strip] and northern Samaria [in the West Bank], are a time to build up, not a time to destroy.”

Avigdor Liberman, a former foreign minister who heads the hawkish opposition party Yisrael Beytenu, accused Netanyahu of pursuing “left-wing” policies, and urged Jewish Home to jump ship and join him in a “nationalist opposition, so that further down the line it will be possible to establish a truly nationalist government, one that will get busy building rather than demolishing.”

July 28, 2015 | 37 Comments »

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37 Comments / 37 Comments

  1. Bear will explain to us now why demolishing existing homes and then… pretend to build new ones in the same place.
    I’ll be there sometime after the 3rd of August and will report… What?

  2. UPDATES:
    As we speak the garbage in uniform serving Netanyahu and his renegades are attacking another Jewish settlement, Sha Nur which was assaulted and had its Jewish population expelled originally by the chief deviant of them all, Sharon, during Livni, Ya’alon, Netanyahu, Shalom, Sharon and other sold out trash, “disengagement”.
    Netanyahu has ordered also to have the gruesome “military”, the one that could defeat Hamas in 50 days, to destroy another settlement… The rumors is that the criminals target is Amona. Remember that name?
    Anybody that will again shill for the filthy coward, traitor, liar, Jewish Heritage destroyer, Netanyahu, will be addressed accordingly.
    I am visiting in person, starting August 3rd. the whole of Y & S and will report from the field or as we return home. Several of our group will visit with us Bet El, Sha Nur and Amona.

    The people must organize in mass and REMOVE the ghastly items from pseudo government and pseudo courts. Otherwise kiss the State good by.

  3. @ ebyjeeby:

    Thanks! Just where a Christian woman should be! On the front lines! I am glad that she realizes that action speaks louder than words!

  4. @ mar55:
    I forgot to tell you and all.
    The Netanyahu’s psychopaths in uniform are on their way to attack another Jewish town, Sah-Nur and another is slated to be completely destroyed as well soon.
    Netanyahu’s “promise to build 300? Amazing that anyone can still believe that betrayer and liar promises and bought the speachster’s 300 spiel again? NOTHING doing!

  5. @ mar55:
    He is a front dude selected by the unJews, renegades, capos here because he is TV face, a shape changer fit for the job of destroying all that is Jewish.
    The WHOLE combina must be taken down by the people.
    Netanyahu will destroy, that is his appointed task.
    Who controls him?
    The Oslo gangs. And foreign money.
    To erase the stain one must start with the plants, selected in secret, called the supreme court. Only few people know how that garbage is assembled behind close doors.
    Once that and the controlled media are torn down. The rest will run. Including Netanyahu.

  6. @ dove:
    Dove, I remember from a panel with Frank Gaffney. Claire Lopez and others in which out of nowhere a young muslima came to question the panel about the treatment of Muslims in America and she let her have it. I do not know if you can find it in Youtube but, if you can you are in for a treat. Her name is Brigitte Gabriel and she was part of the panel with the people from the Center from Security Policy. I looked in my IPhone and the answer to the muslima I mentioned is in YouTube on June 18,2014. I can’t look it up now because I have mouse troubles. This is a new mouse and it is defective. Waiting for the company to respond.
    BTW I think she is Lebanese.

  7. @ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
    Mr.HaLevi, reading the Times of Israel early this morning I remember what you h ave said in your post yesterday. Just as you mentioned they did it at night. They are slime.
    Worse than slime. To act against your own people is disgraceful, it is criminal. How can you get red of BB?
    He is the Vermin in Chief.

  8. The people all over must be made to know that the so called Israeli supreme court is an inside job, a secretly selected ensemble, a gang of persons who are closely knit to each other from way before they self elect to become courtiers. Rotten to the core.
    The people has no say on who is to be a judge. Those ghastly gangsters are planted w/o voter recourse.

    I would not waste time or act in any fashion likely to ruin worthy Jewish lives D9’ning the scum. Let that filth rot on its own and alone.

    Simply, THE PEOPLE must organize to call for a FREE election of Judges and Police. As the Torah calls for that.

  9. @ bernard ross:
    I have no idea where in Bet EL is the purported dozing taking place. Personally we doubt that is in fact happening at all.
    Allow me to describe to you how the labor Zionists duped donors early in their career. It is part of the folklore and depicted in several early movies. Casablanca with Yoram Gaon is one of the movies…
    It was called ISRABLOFF.
    For example, donors would donate cash for trees in a forest to be planted in their name. The donors would show up and were shown “their trees” and a posting saying so.
    As soon as that set of donors left, a new set of donors will be shown their trees. The only thing that changed was the sign post… 🙂
    ISRAEBLOFF is full on now also.

  10. SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    They show bulldozers already today preparing the ground to build the ever repeating “300”.

    where is the new location, how far from the old? what is his explanation for evicting the old merely to build again the new?
    Even if he built them it is a small token to throw to fools after obstructing jewish settlement for years.
    The only acceptable position is to allow jewish settlers to build in YS, to facilitate and encourage Jewish settlement in YS. Not building on vacant land in YS is the same as obstructing the settlement and supports the narrative that YS belongs to the self proclaimed phillistines. Otherwise, he and his party should absorb themselves into labor because there is no Likud, there is only BB.

  11. @ Bear Klein:
    My answer was factual. 🙂 And my hat is safe, completely.
    Though I do like tehini if well made.
    I bought two Panama hats in Ecuador while Peron was still in power in Argentina. The best are made I believe in Santa Maria there. My late Aunt Rosita’s brother was Minister of Finances for Peron. He took us, my brother and I, for an official trip and I splurged with my own money… One hat for Dad and one for me.
    My hat is in no risk.

  12. My question was rhetorical. However I hope you have to eat your hat. Do you eat it with Tahini or??

  13. @ Bear Klein:
    I guess I am one of those who gave up on Netanyahu, during “disengagement” not just now. He has never repented on that or on a multitude of other nefarious let downs.
    Yet, If the units, the 300, are actually built as permanent homes, not prefabs a la Gush Katif kehilu housings, I’ll eat my Panama hat.

  14. I am hopeful that the 300 housing units will actually be built. If it does not happen I will also give up on the current leadership. If they are built will anyone who hates the current government change their minds?

  15. SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    Naturally he lied then and is lying now.

    He appears to have made this habit chronic and serial. Some like to make excuses for the lying, some like to say he had to change his mind, some say it wasn’t him it was the person he appointed, or it wasn’t him but the court whose reign he protects…. but none can deny the fact that he serially says one thing but does another…… DUH????????????

  16. @ bernard ross:
    I will try to keep you all up to speed as reports from Channel 7 INN, presents them.
    They show bulldozers already today preparing the ground to build the ever repeating “300”.
    Now… that also has been done before by the fellow and his accomplices.
    I maintain that not one of the 300 will be delivered to Jews, ever.

  17. SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    Now, the creep also promised the same number of homes to be built several years ago when he and his pal Barak demolished another part of Bet El. Naturally he lied then and is lying now.

    SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    the creep also promised the same number of homes to be built several years ago when he and his pal Barak demolished another part of Bet El. Naturally he lied then and is lying now.

    he thinks so little of the voters that he even has the chutzpah to recycle exactly the same deja vu, knowing full well that most of them are too stupid to remember or to read.
    SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    does not allow changes to the so called supreme courtier gangs………..
    froze construction…………
    blocked the Judge Levi Report……..

    the list gets longer every day but still so many pro settlement folk believe that he is pro settlement and keep buying his excuses even as he pees in their face.
    Recycling Beit El is simply his way of recognizing that no one will remember what he does…….. Alzheimer’s on a national scale.

  18. Only complete government system change. Top to bottom, including severely removing every single unJewish creep lurking there may do it.
    Again the pompous self serving destroyer of Jewish only homes and villages, the grotesque liar, the betrayer, Netanyahu, is promising AGAIN “300” new homes in Bet El.
    This is either the second or third time the repugnant item promises “300” in Bet El.
    Please do not play with stupid fear. Unilateral civil war is going on since Oslo.
    Doing away with the Netanyahu infestation and all in the sick pyramid is first priority.
    Netanyahu does not allow changes to the so called supreme courtier gangs. HE also froze construction and blocked the Judge Levi Report.
    He MUST go and that is that.

  19. Things need to change. However I personally am not for a civil war among the Jews. That is the one thing that will bring down the current state of Israel and once again disperse the Jews to the four corners of the world.

    So we need to be rational in spite of the horrific rulings of the Supreme Court.

  20. If one gets so mad they burn down their own neighborhood that they live in. What is next? Where to sleep?

  21. EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA…
    Netanyahu was forced to “promise” to build 300 homes in Bet El to replace what he is destroying as we speak.
    Now, the creep also promised the same number of homes to be built several years ago when he and his pal Barak demolished another part of Bet El. Naturally he lied then and is lying now.

    NOTE FOR THE CONFUSED: BET EL means House of G.d.
    It is not by chance that the unJews focuses, several times on that village.

  22. @ Bear Klein:
    We have been suffering the idiotic “alternativehhhh” remark for long enough. Anyone would be better than that slice of refuse. Netanyahu is a monumental failure and a coward and worse. He was so always and the treacherous, lying disgrace replacement by a street dog will improve the setting.
    Now… His backing is the self elected gangrene called supreme court. There are calls by MK’s to put a D9 into the pestilence as well. I second that.

    Clear enough Bear?

  23. In a well timed run the speechster run to Cyprus to speech over there a bit.
    Bet-El homes and much more will be destroyed, maybe slightly delayed, masked by smoke screens, but he will destroy.

  24. This is my forecast.
    I do not have details since the area is blocked off, as the Germans did and Sharon did.
    My estimate is that at night as most of the unJews attacks against Jews are, the unJewish filth will destroy several houses in Bet-El, as a start.

  25. The latest news is that the speechster had an urgent call from Cyprus and is now there… Priorities are priorities, ya know. Besides they have great taref sea food restaurants there.

  26. Bear Klein Said:

    If the government does stop evacuation of Jews and support the settlement of Y/S it does not deserve its mandates.

    I think you mean does NOT stop…..
    BB panicked right wing voters for Bennett to weaken the right wing…. if you carefully observe developments, you will see that there is no pro settlement right wing with any power in the coalition….this is due to BB appt of benett to a ministry with no relation to settlement…. which is absurd. bennett campaigned and won on settlement issues. Likud is not pro settlement it is pro status quo, which is the euro designated ghetto boundaries of the existing major block settlements Lkud supports the idea that the land in YS which is vacant belongs to the arabs, hence they must be paid in swaps for anything over the green line. Pro settlement begins with Jewish home
    BB intentionally stole the mandates by fraudulent misrepresentation in his panic of voters. He knew at the time that he would do nothing but obstruct settlement outside the major blocks

  27. Both Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett and Shaked specifically pinned the blame on Ya’alon, who has been responsible for demolitions on multiple occasions in the past.
    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/198728#.VbeCDPlVgSU

    BB’s MO is to appoint those to strategic posts that he can use as a fig leaf to cover up his intentional agenda. He appoints them and then claims “it wasn’t me” 😛 😛 😛
    He did it with livni and Yaalon
    what is funny is that Yaalon forgot his lines and said that he is agianst demolition, which is BB’s line. Now they both have to blame the courts, but they cant blame shaked because BB killed her bill which would have changed the courts to get rid of the leftist stranglehold which always results in evictions of Jews.

  28. If the government does stop evacuation of Jews and support the settlement of Y/S it does not deserve its mandates. My issue is what is the alternative? Herzog – Lapid ?? What a sad state of affairs.

  29. of course BB and yaalon say they oppose it and do everything to prevent it but BB also opposed the bill to change the leftist controled supreme court which always votes in oppostiton to the majority of Israelis. they maintain the power of the left even when the left is booted out. what now? BB used to have Livni to dump his betrayals on, his fig leaf is gone because everyone knows that yaalon is his puppet. the pretense that he is right wing should be clear to all. BB storm troopers attack the jews everywhere. whenever BB gets a chance to advance right wing agenda he bails. He kills every right wing agenda, he is the mole attmpting to walk and quack like a duck.
    He crookedly and knowingly stole tight wing votes from bennett in order to destroy the right. He knew he would never do anything to advance Jewish settlement. He knew he would operate to keep the jews in the agreed euro ghetto boundaries. anythng outside those boundaries is VERBOTEN!!! He is doing exactly as I predicted and is keeping the seats warm for labor. He may even provoke BH to jump ship so as to blame it on them. but how can BH stay in a gov that gives their leader a eunuch ministry and immediately sets out to evict jews, while obstructing the bill to change the courts. I think we can bid YS goodbye. Jews are abused by arabs in a Jewish homeland under his rule, that is his only fame to me.