Bennett: Electoral success won't make me give away land for a Palestinian state

Bayit Yehudi chief tells Diaspora rabbis he is not influenced by polls, but by the Torah.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett vowed Monday that he would not give away land for a Palestinian state as he rose to higher positions in the Israeli government as previous Israeli leaders have done.
Speaking at a conference of Diaspora rabbis in Jerusalem, Bennett said, "In recent weeks and because of the elections and the polls, many countries in the world want to know who the Bayit Yehudi party is. So, I have received marathon visits from US, European and Arab diplomats who come to 'find out about me.'"
"But they are not just coming to find out about me, they are also delivering a message. Today, as well, one of these diplomats came to me and said: 'I understand that for the polls you have to say these things, but in order to become part of the honorable club of peacemakers after the election, you must agree to a Palestinian state.'"
"Then I got up, took out the Bible and told him: 'My moral compass is not the daily poll, but rather the 3000-year-old Torah which will never change, and the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and if the entry pass to the frequent flyer club is to give away the country, then I will pass on becoming a member of the club."
He added: "A very special time has arrived for the Jewish people. A time in which all of us can hold our heads high without apologizing for saying that we love the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and the Torah of Israel."