Yesh Atid MKs feature in Land of Israel Caucus

Caucus that aims to prevent harm to Jewish communities in the West Bank has support of 50 MKs.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Yesh Atid's Dov Lipman 370 (photo credit: Sam Sokol)
Yesh Atid's Dov Lipman 370
(photo credit: Sam Sokol)
The Land of Israel Caucus that aims to prevent harm to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria was relaunched in the Knesset Tuesday with the support of 50 MKs, including two from Yesh Atid.
The heads of the caucus made a point of opening the event, with Yesh Atid MK Dov Lipman and closing it with his colleague Pnina Tamnu- Shata. Lipman said he was proud to be a member of both the Land of Israel Caucus and the caucus in favor of two states for two peoples.
“MKs who support two states for two peoples must say clearly that they love all of the Land of Israel,” Lipman told the caucus. “Giving up any bit of the Land of Israel would pain me very much.”
Tamnu-Shata said she saw no contradiction between being a member of the caucus and her support for a Palestinian state. She vowed to use her membership in the caucus to guide it in the right direction.
“The Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria must be strengthened in a smart way,” Tamnu-Shata said. “But we don’t want to control the Palestinians. We want to separate from them.”
Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett said real peace between Israel and the Palestinians will come from Israelis and Palestinians working together, which he said is taking place throughout Judea and Samaria.
“They understand we’re not going anywhere and we understand they are not going anywhere,” Bennett said.
“The only way to defeat Israel is to brainwash us and make us forget that the Land of Israel is ours. Judea and Samaria are ours not because they protect Gush Dan but because Abraham walked there.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who lives in the Gush Etzion community Neveh Daniel, made a surprising appearance at the event. He said he was tired of hearing complaints delegitimizing government funding for building in Judea and Samaria.
“Plans for two states for two peoples have failed even if the international community doesn’t realize it yet,” Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely said.
“There won’t be a prime minister more generous than Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak were.”
Pollster Rafi Smith revealed at the event that according to a poll he took last Thursday, 86 percent of Jewish Israelis do not consider the Palestinian Authority a partner for a lasting peace agreement.
The number was 84% among Yesh Atid voters and 68% among Jews who voted Labor.