'Likud will not allow interim agreement'

Danon talks tough at event supporting Samaria, calls for Livni not to "repeat mistakes" in peace talks with Palestinians.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Danny Danon at Samaria event 370 (photo credit: LAHAV HARKOV)
Danny Danon at Samaria event 370
(photo credit: LAHAV HARKOV)
An interim agreement means giving away land and getting nothing in return, and the Likud will not allow it, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon said at an event in support of Samaria on Thursday evening.
Danon, who is also the head of the Likud central committee, listed recent terrorist attacks in Psagot, the Jordan Valley and other places, saying that “those who love the Land of Israel had a difficult few weeks.”
“I reached a high spot in the primary because of my love for the Land of Israel, and I want to thank you,” he said to a room packed with hundreds of people in Ramat Gan for an event called “Samaria, nice to meet you.”
The deputy minister promised residents of Samaria that he will not abandon them, and he mocked what he called left-wing editorials.
“People expect [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu] to ‘show leadership’ and ‘show responsibility.’ You want us to adopt the policies of the Left? It won’t happen. We are a right-wing Likud government,” Danon said.
“Today, people want an interim agreement. You know what that means? That means giving away parts of our homeland and getting nothing back. Negotiators are talking about giving large percentages of Judea and Samaria to Palestinians,” he warned. “The Likud will not sign an interim agreement.”
Danon told the crowd that giving away land does not bring peace.
“There are no Jews in Gaza, not even graves. There are no settlements, no occupation, so why is there hate? Why are there rockets and [weapon smuggling] tunnels?” the deputy minister asked.
According to Danon, “if God forbid there will be a Palestinian state, it will be a ‘copy-paste’ of the situation in Gaza.” He called on Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the government’s chief negotiator, “not to repeat the mistakes she made in the [former prime minister Ehud] Olmert government,” when she was foreign minister, and he asked why there are no members of the nationalist camp on her peace-talks team.
Samaria Regional Council chairman Gershon Mesika opened the conference by joking that Danon is the next prime minister and expressing a wish that the MK were Defense Minister, so he could expand settlements out of his love of the land.
“We’re tired of apologizing for settling the land,” Mesika said. “We have a basic right, and no other nation has a right to the Land of Israel. We’re sick of having ministers ask us if something is good for the Arabs, too, and if it isn’t, they don’t cooperate. We need to do what’s good for the Jews, period.”
The event also featured a Samaria business fair with tastings of wine, olive oil, cheeses and other fare from the region, as well as stands selling jewelry, candles and art work.