Israel Matzav

With peace talks going nowhere, is Netanyahu planning a unilateral withdrawal?

Incredibly, with 'peace talks' with the 'Palestinians' going nowhere, a government minister has come out and said that Binyamin Netanyahu plans to annex the 'settlement blocs' and abandon the rest of Judea and Samaria.

In his comments, Eitan was referring to a speech by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the Knesset in mid-May. In the wake of that speech, several right-wing MKs expressed concern over the fact that Netanyahu stressed that Israel would keep the settlement blocs in any final-status settlement with the PA – but that “painful concessions” would need to be made. This was taken by many as a sign that Netanyahu was prepared to give them away to the PA for establishment of an Arab state in Judea and Samaria.

After the speech, government Minister Benny Begin said in several interviews that he “knew for certain” that Netanyahu had not intended to imply an Israeli withdrawal from non-bloc areas of Yesha. A report on Arutz 7 said that following the speech, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely approached Netanyahu and said, "The rule that you set implies the exception to the rule," meaning that his insistence on retaining the settlement blocs means that the other towns are expendable. Netanyahu responded, "That is not the intention.”

Although Eitan seemed to imply that he was speaking for Netanyahu in his statement, he is considered to be one of the Likud's left-leaning MKs. Speaking at a Likud faction meeting earlier this year, for example, Eitan advised against an Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria, saying it would “boomerang” against Israel. “All Likud Prime Ministers have been against such a move, which would further isolate Israel and cause great damage. It would act as a boomerang, and prevent further Israeli development in the settlement blocs,” he said.

If what Eitan says is accurate, tens of thousands of Jews could be evicted from their homes, says National Union Chairman MK Ya'akov Katz (Ketzaleh). In a recent interview with Arutz 7, Ketzaleh said that based on his analysis of the speech, the Prime Minister would likely seek the removal of over 120,000 Jews from their homes. In his analysis, Ketzaleh named dozens of towns that are outside the settlement blocs he believes Netanyahu is referring to – with large towns like Beit El, Karnei Shomron, Givat Ze'ev, Kedumim, Kiryat Arba, and many others on the “chopping bloc,” since they are outside the “settlement blocs.”

Mind you that this would not bring peace, and that six years after the Gaza expulsion, most of the 10,000 or so Jews expelled from Gaza are still jobless and homeless.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Gaza expulsion, Michael Eitan, unilateral concessions

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:16 PM