Likud aims fire at defense minister

The Likud released an official statement after the KAN report that it was not true.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Did Bennett teach Netanyahu a lesson this week? (photo credit: ATEF SAFADI/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Did Bennett teach Netanyahu a lesson this week?
(photo credit: ATEF SAFADI/POOL VIA REUTERS)
After the Likud denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to attack Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and his Yamina party, Netanyahu and his Likud loyalists increased their attacks on the Likud's rival on the Right.
KANN News reported on Tuesday night that when Likud ministers and MKs asked Netanyahu how to handle criticism for continued attacks from Gaza, he responded that he had given Bennett all the tools needed to deal with the terror in the South and that he was responsible. The report said the ministers and MKs interpreted Netanyahu's response as a green light to attack Bennett, and in radio interviews said he had "lost Israel's deterrence" and was "worse than [former defense minister Avigdor] Liberman."
The Likud released an official statement after the KAN report that it was not true.
But less than an hour later, when Netanyahu was asked in a Channel 20 interview whether it hurt the right-wing camp for Likud to attack its allies in Yamina, Netanyahu responded by shouting that they, unlike him, "brought Israel nothing." In political rallies over the past week, Netanyahu said he only appointed Bennett defense minister to stop him from forming a coalition with Blue and White.
In radio interviews on Wednesday, Likud ministers Yariv Levin, Yuval Steinitz and Yoav Galant all attacked Bennett and Yamina. Levin said he was concerned that Yamina would join a government led by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.
Yamina candidate Ayelet Shaked told Army Radio on Wednesday that Netanyahu always decides to attack the parties further to the Right and spread lies about them instead of trying to increase the size of her political bloc. She reiterated that there was no chance of Yamina joining a Gantz-led government.
The Israel Hayom newspaper quoted Bennett Wednesday saying in private conversations that he would not even join a coalition led by Gantz if he was guaranteed to remain minister of defense. He is expected to respond to attacks from Likud at a Yamina rally on Wednesday night at Ramat Gan's Kfar Hamaccabiah Hotel.
Speaking at a conference for Yamina party activists Wednesday night, Bennett hit back at Netanyahu and pointed to his past record when the prime minister had a more moderate approach to the conflict with the Palestinians.
Bennett noted that Netanyahu in his government formed in 2009 excluded the National Union party, which is a constituent party of Yamina, allied with Labor led by Ehud Barak who served as Defense Minister, and took policy positions which today are anathema to the right-wing.
“That government froze construction in the settlements throughout Judea and Samaria, Bank, appointed liberal judges, and at his Bar Ilan speech Netanyahu declared support for a two state solution,” Bennett asserted.
The Yamina leader also took a swipe at Netanyahu’s promises of annexing the settlements after the elections.
“Without Yamina there will never be [Israeli] sovereignty [over the settlements]. Whoever says immediately after elections there will be sovereignty, is the one who says Khan al-Ahamar will be evacuated,” he continued, in reference to the Palestinian Bedouin village which Netanyahu has frequently promised to evacuate
“Something they haven’t done for 10 years they’re not going to do now,” jibed Bennett in reference to Netanyahu’s period in power and his recent promises to annex the settlements.
“We appreciate our prime minister, but he needs us [Yamina[ to be strong. In politics we were at the margins, on security, on the economy, on diplomatic issues, we were told to move aside. That’s how everyone likes us, without influence, because they understand that Yamina and the religious-Zionist community is the battery and engine of the entire right wing, and without it it would stop working.If there is no Yamina there will be left wing policies. ”
During his speech Bennett also ruled out joining a government with Blue and White, saying “it is obvious that we will join a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu, in no situation will I enter a left-wing, anti-religious government with Gantz and Lapid who want to harm everything we believe in.”