By David Israel, JEWISH PRESS
Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz at the Knesset, May 17, 2020.
Mati Tuchfeld on Monday morning reported in Israel Hayom that PM Benjamin Netanyahu was stunned to discover during the coalition talks with Blue&White just how strongly his former IDF chiefs of staff—Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi—objected to his plan to apply sovereignty in the Jewish settlements of Judea and Samaria, with American approval.Tuchfeld reveals that the two leaders were simply lying when they agreed with Netanyahu’s promise of sovereignty, and Gantz went ahead and lied to President Trump himself during their meeting in Washington. Behind closed doors, apparently, Blue&White is determined to do everything in its power to sabotage the move.Mind you, they are not the only one’s affiliated with the Netanyahu government who don’t want sovereignty based on Trump’s “deal of the century.” The settlers’ leadership is also opposed to it, because it would entail an Israeli commitment to Washington to stay out of a good chunk of Area C, to make room for a contiguous Palestinian State.
Nevertheless, according to Tuchfeld: “Netanyahu is determined. Applying sovereignty has become his life’s mission. He has long since become prime minister with the longest tenure, and is now fighting for what will he will leave behind. The main achievement to be named after him. Already during the formulation of the coalition agreement, Netanyahu succeeded in forcing Gantz to accept the clause stating that, unlike all the other decisions and laws, he would have no veto over the sovereignty.”
Netanyahu is facing additional problems, it turns out: Interior Minister and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri also has cold feet about the move – he demands Blue&White’s approval, or else he, too, would not support it. And then there are the Americans.
In the end, it comes down to math, and at the moment the minister holding the deciding vote as to whether or not a sovereignty bill would be submitted to the Knesset is Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel, whose party, Derech Eretz, has splintered off Blue&White.
On paper, Hendel is absolutely gaga for sovereignty. He describes himself as a rightwing pragmatist, a liberal nationalist. For him, a restrained application of Israeli law in a good portion of the settlements is the right move. So what’s wrong with this picture? As is often the case when it comes to Netanyahu’s past affiliations, there’s the bad blood thing.
In 2012, Hendel, then Netanyahu’s Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy, was forced to resign after Netanyahu told him he had lost confidence in him for having informed the Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein that the Prime Minister’s bureau chief Natan Eshel was sneaking pictures under the skirts of his female staff members. The information led to an investigation by the Civil Service Commission, and to Eshel’s inevitable resignation. Hendel and then Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, also reprimanded by Netanyahu for the sin of trying to give him deniability by keeping him out of the loop on his pervert bureau chief, were out.
Natan Eshel was the close confidant of Mrs. Sara Netanyahu whose response to the two staffers’ snitching was the traditional off-with-their-heads. The fact that both are back, alive and kicking, and one of them is a regular in Bibi’s cabinet meetings is a constant source of humiliation to the Netanyahus. To now rely on his deciding vote on a bill that represents Netanyahu’s legacy is humble pie served on a skewer with bits of craw in between.
In recent days, according to Tuchfeld, Netanyahu has been meeting with Gantz to untie the Gordian Knot. Gantz said that he would vote in favor of sovereignty in return for a two-year budget. Netanyahu has been pushing for a one-year budget, contrary to the coalition agreement. Blue&White are convinced it’s because the PM has no plan to let Gantz take over as part of the agreed rotation in less than a year and a half. Bibi is not budging on the budget. Instead he wants to force Gantz’s hand with threats of new elections.
The Likud Chairman has a window of opportunity to drive his government into a dead end, at which point he could disperse the Knesset without having to hand over power to Gantz. Netanyahu has every reason in the world to kill this government: in his eagerness to resolve the political stalemate he awarded Blue&White a slew of portfolios, at the expense of his own senior Likudniks. The polls now show Blue&White at a devastating decline, possibly down to single digits, should elections be held now. Bibi is soaring with as many as 44 seats, and a rightwing coalition with Yamina but without Liberman could net 64 mandates.
He has to be an idiot not to try to kill this government, and Mother Netanyahu did not raise idiots.
All of this could be turned from a fierce struggle to an explosive eruption should someone at the White House, say a certain son-in-law of President Donald Trump, insist that the sovereignty is conditioned on Blue&White’s support.
All this rage and betrayals and unforgotten slights and back-stabbing and livid loathing is probably going to come to a full boil on Wednesday next week, July 1, 2020. Should be some show.
Mark Langfan’s lecture (video and download) on “annexation”.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282467
@ Ted Belman:
Absolutely, it is nothing but nonsense when Israel’s “best friend” negotiates on behalf of the “Palestinians” Israel’s unilateral withdrawal, settlement freeze and encirclement by Arabs or expulsion of 20 settler communities from 70% of Judea and Samaria and possibly giving away parts of the Negev (this is euphemistically called “applying sovereignty on 30% of Judea and Samaria”), and Israel gets to be demonized for this “unilateral action” by the whole world including the “Palestinians”!
And this is happening right when they expect a large increase in aliyah.
@ Reader:
Utter nonsense.
What The Deal of the Century REALLY IS [a must read]:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282395
I was right – it’s a POISONED TRAP for Israel (set up by its “dearest friend” and implemented by BIBI!)
@ greenrobot:
“dictating” The US is willfully acting as a 3rd party in the conflict proposing a plan that the conflicting parties will have to follow (this is how both the Israelis and the Arabs perceive it (positively or negatively), otherwise – what’s the point?).
The plan is a 2-state solution with a map of the “final borders” already drawn by the US, and it’s up to the US to decide whether the map is going to be changed, how it is going to be changed, who is to have a voice in changing it, and whose opinion is going to count as far as the map changes and applying “sovereignty” (obviously, not the settlers’ themselves nor that of the Israeli Right).
Pompeo’s saying it’s up to Israel is pure pretense for the record (“democratic and free decision making”) and to avoid any negative fallout or blame which might result from Israel’s “independent” decision.
Israel gives the lie to Pompeo’s statement by acting as a faithful vassal of the US in all respects.
“Recognition of sovereignty” is a strange term which seems to be required or needed only in the case of Israel.
There is no other country (as far as I know) which has ever needed to have its sovereignty recognized.
In the case of Israel and the “30%” this recognition will be given (probably temporarily) by the US ONLY (which is not a guarantee of anything and which makes Israel look very bad).
Finally, why would the US seek a permanent solution to this or any conflict when its military-industrial complex makes a lot of money selling weapons to the warring parties (google “the US foreign aid”)?
@ Reader: You mentioned “The US has no right whatsoever to dictate (in spite of their assurances to the contrary) to Israel or to the Arabs the conditions of their possible negotiations or even to suggest that they negotiate.” Pompeo: Annexation is a decision for the Israeli government
“I regret only that the Palestinian Authority has refused to participate. They simply have rejected this out of hand.” Why do you say the US is dictating? Is getting the recognition of sovereignty important ?
Hi. I just tuned in for the long-awaited “Wednesday Show”. Is this it?
“Jerusalem Post Arab Israeli Conflict
Pompeo: Annexation is a decision for the Israeli government
“I regret only that the Palestinian Authority has refused to participate. They simply have rejected this out of hand.”
By OMRI NAHMIAS JUNE 24, 2020 19:30″
That’s the “fireworks”, I guess. The “Oohs! and Aahs!” appear to be:
“Speaking to defense reporters on Tuesday, Gantz sounded like he was just going with the flow for Netanyahu, even looking to justify the prime minister’s policies.”
— https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-gantz-s-comments-on-palestinians-shatter-left-wing-hopes-he-will-halt-annexation-1.8943751
Everyone, please correct me if I’m wrong: What all this says, is that the buck stops at Netanyahu. He either puts his money where his mouth is and annexes, VERY SOON, or we’re looking at several more years of indecision and boring news.
@ greenrobot:
I can’t read minds. I don’t know what is going to happen. But I detest the fact that Israel is behaving like an American colony.
The US has no right whatsoever to dictate (in spite of their assurances to the contrary) to Israel or to the Arabs the conditions of their possible negotiations or even to suggest that they negotiate.
Having a marketing firm invent some pretty terms like The Deal of the Century and “sovereignty” doesn’t mean that Israel has to run and mindlessly jump into what I am convinced is a POISONED TRAP and a SALAMI TACTIC for Israel to set up conditions for another Arab state on the Jewish soil whether Israel wants it or not or whether Israel will recognize it or not (no one cares about what Israel thinks).
I think that Israel must let it be known at this point in no uncertain terms that the non-Jewish countries ARE DONE CHOPPING PARTS OF ISRAEL OFF.
THEY CHOPPED OFF ENOUGH ALREADY (fraudulently) FROM THE ORIGINAL MANDATE, and Israel doesn’t owe any land to anyone.
Moreover, Israel needs to have enough land to accept the Jews of the Diaspora.
The current situation exists because Israel failed to settle Judea and Samaria by freezing the settlement construction.
This has to change.
@ Reader: Do you think the PA will proclaim a state in Area C? Or meet the requirements of the Deal of the Century? Was Gantz using dirty politics by lying to President Trump about accepting the Deal of the Century at the White House or is he accepting the Deal?
@ Reader:
Remember the Israel govt then was basically the same that made the Oslo rubbish. And although far more Arabs were killed it handled the situation very poorly. That they brought those filthy terrorists back into the Land was the craziest thing that any Israeli govt. has ever done, or likely to do.
And….sitting and discussing is NOT , “by definition”, acceptance of a single solitary thing. I don’t know where you got your understanding of English from, it seems large but in this case, misused. Didn’t Gantz and Netanyahu make solemn agreements, and they are falling apart. as we are posting.
Israel dis not “rdn like rabbits” from Lebanon, where DID you ge your ideas from….? Mashugga…!! It was Barak the C in C who gave the ridiculous orders, made the unworkable strategic and tactical errors and was rightly booted out in the next election, the shortest serving PM of Israel in history.
As it happens, I agree to a large -but not complete- extent with your solution of the Arabs.
@ Edgar G.:
The Arabs broke the Oslo agreement almost as soon as they signed it and no one said a word. The Oslo agreement cost Israel over 2000 Jewish lives.
Negotiating or discussing a 2-state solution means acceptance of a “Palestinian” state by definition.
In addition, Israeli law prohibits conspiring to give away the Jewish land.
The “painful concessions” are always supposed to be born by Israel in exchange for empty promises of “peace” and so-called “defensible borders”.
The DEAL has nothing to do with international law – it is an agreement solely between the US and Israel to prepare a 2-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, it has no force of law whatsoever.
The idea of Israel extending free rein over the whole territory is surreal given the reality that this territory is inhabited by over 2 million hostile Arabs backed up by the EU (and not only).
If the “Palestinians” have no desire to declare a state, why then do they have all their state institutions at the ready, the financial and/or ideological backing of 132 countries, and representation in the UN?
So far, it was the IDF who ran like rabbits from Lebanon, sorry to say.
In my opinion, the only solution is to finance the move of the Arab population to Jordan to end the conflict with no land negotiations whatsoever, and Israel declaring full sovereignty over the whole of Judea and Samaria.
Besides, Israel won’t “grab” it will move slowly and cautiously as always, making sure “it’s back is covered”, and giving people time to acclimatise and re-arrange.
@ Reader:
The DEAL does not allow this, and breaking it would allow Israel free rein to extend over the whole Land at will. besides the Arabs MUST comply with a host of penalty carrying rules which they will not nor can ever do.
And assuming they did declare sovereignty as they are threatening (idly), they have no real weaponry, troops, advantageous fields of operation, nor desire. Their “troops” would run like rabbits at the first encounter with the REAL IDF
True, I’m speculating, but it sounds more-likely than your un-likely scenario
@ Edgar G.:
What happens if, as soon as Israel ”grabs” its 30%, the “Palestinian” Arabs grab their 70% of Judea and Samaria AND parts of the Negev as stated in the plan (which nobody wants to mention) as compensation for their “suffering at the hands of Zionists” with full support of the “”world community”?
Another war?
Gush Katif 2 (to remove 20 Jewish settlements from the new Arab state so they don’t get slaughtered)?
Stationing of the UN and/or other foreign troops in Judea and Samaria?
This plan is another step toward the Final Solution and nothing else.
“All this rage and betrayals and unforgotten slights and back-stabbing and livid loathing is probably going to come to a full boil on Wednesday next week, July 1, 2020. Should be some show.”
Wake me when it’s over.
@ Reader:
What happens if, when 4 years have passed there is still no Arab state formed. All the many articles on this site which explained the points of the DEAL, said that Israel has no authority to form an Arab state, and the Deal only requires Israel to sit down and discuss. The Arabs are Arabs; they’ll agree to nothing where they think Israel is getting benefit. .
@ Ted Belman: It appears you have better sources than Bitan.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/282283
@ Ted Belman:
Hope you are correct that sovereignty is agreed and it is like Shaked recommends!
Nothing to worry about. Everything is agreed.
To Shaked and Kahana – trying to sit with one butt on 2 chairs has never worked before and it won’t work now.
If this is not enough for Israel to kill The Deal of the Century, what is? And if Netanyahu is all for it and is ready to implement it using dirty politics – who is he in reality? A builder or a destroyer?