Don't take Likud hawks and Bayit Yehudi seriously, opposition leader Isaac Herzog told US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday. Herzog (Labor) met with Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice ahead of Sunday's AIPAC Policy Conference to discuss talks with the Palestinians and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Washington. The opposition leader said the US is working hard ahead of a month in which “fateful decisions” will be made in the current negotiations. “I thanked Kerry for his unrelenting efforts to bring peace to our region and told him not to take criticism from the right in the Likud and the Bayit Yehudi seriously,” Herzog said. “They do not represent the atmosphere in the streets of Israel.” According to Herzog, “much of the Israeli public understands that there is no realistic alternative to a permanent agreement to ensure Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state.” The Labor leader added that he appreciates Kerry and Rice's efforts and time dedicated to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians while their attention is on the crisis in Ukraine. Bayit Yehudi declined to respond to Herzog's comments, but a party official tweeted that the opposition leader is “ignoring reality.”
