Right: Likud betraying its ideology

Likud platform committee is expected to endorse formation of Palestinian state.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
landau 248 88 AJ (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
landau 248 88 AJ
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Parties to the right of the Likud intend to reach out to Likud voters if, as expected, the Likud platform committee decides to endorse the formation of a Palestinian state. The committee is expected to meet for the first time later this week. MK Uzi Landau, who is the committee's most right-wing member, said that because the government accepted the road map diplomatic plan, he would have no objection to its inclusion in the platform, even though it calls for the formation of a Palestinian state after the Palestinians honor their commitments of ending terror, violence and incitement. "The fact that the Likud is betraying its ideology is very disappointing," National Union MK Arye Eldad said. If the Likud would "support a Palestinian state, we are not standing on common ground," he said, adding: "I'm sure it will make a lot of people vote for us." Politicians from the National Religious Party and the National Union said the Likud's move would not shift their campaign strategy or their preference for a Likud-led coalition. "The next government will most probably be headed by [Likud chairman Binyamin] Netanyahu," Eldad said. "I wouldn't vote for him, but if I had to chose whom to go into a coalition with, he would be better than the others." Eldad and NRP chairman Zevulun Orlev said they assumed their parties would be part of a coalition with Netanyahu. National Union chairman Benny Elon said he believed the next government would be a "coalition of the national right" with the Likud. Eldad said, "We will have the task to watch [Netanyahu] like a hawk, so he won't be able to give parts of the Land of Israel to the Arabs." Eldad and Elon said their parties' basic strategy for the elections remained the same: focus on defeating Kadima and Labor and look to work with the Likud after the elections. Orlev said he was glad the Likud clarified its platform prior to the election. The NRP opposed an independent Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria but still believed that the Likud was closest in ideology out of the three major parties, he said. Elon said the Likud was "a supermarket of ideas, with no real ideology." He said it had politicians who were against disengagement, like Landau, or who favored it, like Steinitz, or who were in-between, like Netanyahu and MK Limor Livnat. Elon said his the National Union had a very consistent platform. "We are very clearly right-wing," he said. "People know that we never change our ideology. We were and are against a Palestinian state. What God gave us is not for sale." Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.