Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who came to power promising to be the
settlers’ advocate, officially became their adversary on Sunday when they
changed their relatively moderate tone and “declared war” on him.
The
trigger to the settlers’ change in tactics was Netanyahu’s hint at Sunday’s
Likud ministerial forum that the 10-month construction moratorium could
partially continue. The settlers warned him that if the freeze continues, his
premiership would not.
RELATED:Coalition ministers head to West Bank to reassure settlersSettlers launch reprisal actions for shooting attack“If Netanyahu continues the freeze, we would see
it as a declaration of war,” said Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika.
“We would do everything possible to topple the prime minister, because from our
standpoint, there would be no difference between Netanyahu, Tzipi Livni, Ehud
Barak, and Balad.”
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria
will intensify its anti-freeze efforts Monday with new ads featuring key Likud
Central Committee members urging Likud ministers to keep their promises. The
council has adopted the tactics of Likud activist Moshe Feiglin to move the
Likud rightward by signing up 7,000 new party members from Judea and Samaria in
a campaign called “Right to the Likud.”
“Instead of apologizing, Israel
should be telling the world that every house in Judea and Samaria is another
brick in the West’s defensive wall against radical Islam,” council
director-general Naftali Bennett said.
“The entire world is testing the
Netanyahu government’s credibility. If the government continues the freeze
directly or indirectly, it would be complete surrender, and in such a situation,
the government would cease to represent its people and will no longer have a
right to exist.”
National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau went
further, suggesting that continuing the freeze would actually harm the peace
process, because Netanyahu’s credibility would be lost. He said the world needed
to understand that even though the coalition was strong, Netanyahu would be
vulnerable politically if he lost the public’s trust.
“Credibility is the
key to make the talks successful,” Landau said.
“You cannot say that
continuing the freeze beyond 10 months is a red line and then retreat when the
Palestinians threaten to leave the talks,” he said. “That would encourage them
to make the same threat again over any given issue in the future, including
their demand to eliminate any Jewish presence from Judea and
Samaria.”
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Israel should politely
turn down Obama’s request to continue the moratorium.
“Obama recommended
to Israel to reconsider continuing the freeze, and we respect the request but
the security cabinet made a decision and it is still intact,” Steinitz
said.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) fiercely attacked Netanyahu’s hint
that the freeze could partially continue.
“Nobody should be surprised
when a spineless politician gives in,” Eldad said.
“Netanyahu’s
commitment to renew construction at the end of the moratorium is worth about as
much as garlic skins, as is the political believability of all of the Likud
ministers, who will make peace with the continuation of the moratorium – partial
or complete.
“In complete opposition to their statements. Netanyahu and
the group of spineless sheep that surround him are bringing about the
establishment of an enemy state in the heart of the country.”
Likud MK
Danny Danon added that, “Netanyahu should have reminded Obama that Ariel and
Beit El are not American cities, and that he has no mandate to decide to stop
building in Judea and Samaria.”
Mattot Arim spokesperson Susie Dym said
her organization had 20,000 activists who could generate hundreds of fast
responses to what she termed “wayward politicians who did not honor campaign
promises and take good care of the Jewish people.”
Netanyahu received
support for his position from Labor ministers and Minister-without- Portfolio
Michael Eitan, who said that it is important to take into consideration how a
renewal of building will look to the international community.
“Israel’s
diplomatic needs are completely different than they were in the past,” Eitan
said.
“Between a continuation of the freeze and provocative settlement in
every place possible there are intermediate ways that will allow the renewal of
building in certain places without harming the negotiations.”
Minorities
Affairs Minister Avishay Braverman added that “endangering the talks by building
during the freeze would be a historic mistake.”
Kadima MK Nahman Shai,
usually one of his party’s most vocal MKs on foreign affairs issues, said that
it was not by chance that he and his fellow party members remained silent
throughout the day Sunday.
“The immediate response was not to respond in
order not to make it look as if he was giving in to Kadima. As long as Netanyahu
is acting in the way that Kadima determined – – which was never his way before –
why should I jump on his head? “If I feel that he is beginning to zigzag, I
won’t let him escape. Sometimes reactions are reactions and sometimes
non-reactions are also reactions.
It was a tactical consideration,”
explained Shai.