Following the comments made by Minister Michael Eitan on the need to continue the building moratorium, almost identical statements were made by Minister Dan Meridor. MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) stated, in the Arutz 7 Magazine that "Of course, with all due respect to Meridor and Eitan they do not get to make the decisions. The real decision makers are the Prime Minister and figures such as Benny Begin, Boogie Ya'alon, Gilad Erdan, Gideon Saar, Yuki Edelstein and other Likud Knesset members."
Hotovely mentions that "there is a serious mass of Likud Knesset members and ministers who are certain that nothing will come out of these fruitless negotiations, and that even Yossi Beilin is desperate and despairing from the negotiations. In such a desperate situation, where the negotiations are only a facade to appease the world, the last people who should pay the price are our dear and honoured pioneers in Judea and Samaria" she says and reminds that" Netanyahu in his Bar Ilan speech did not talk of uprooting settlements, thus he can not continue the freeze. "
However, Hotovely is more troubled by the existence of a false representation of Israel's true political ideals: "It bothers me that we continue this charade for the world, when it is clear that the main issues are Jerusalem and more. While our charade is for the Americans, we forget that we are facing the Palestinians. It will take a brave Prime Minister to say that he would not give up more than Olmert, and because of this there is no chance for an agreement."
In her opinion, in order to make a strong declaration it is imperative to also take physical steps in the right direction. "It is incumbent on the people of the right and settlers to think of an alternative which will be brought about gradually, similar to the thinking of the Palestinians, for example beginning by establishing blocks of sovereignty over the settlements, the eastern neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, and on lands that are not settled by Palestinians. To end the farce (of two states), we will actively apply the sovereignty gradually, and make an ideological statement to the world that while the Palestinians continue to drag their feet in negotiations, Israel continues to blossom and develop and is not waiting for them. The entire charade may not be a waste as we are surrounded by the world we live in, and we must show them our willingness to talk but simultaneously we must act in ways that support more settlement activity."
In her opinion such a move will also give the Palestinians a feeling they are losing their territorial and administrative control in recent years. "There should be some limit to when the State of Israel stops waiting for them. They say that time is on their side in the demographic sense, but it must be understood that time is not only on their side, but it is on the side of whoever uses it in a wiser fashion. After all, even the method of Livni, Ramon and Beilin has no intention of giving up Gush Etzion, so why not establish facts on the ground and apply sovereignty over this area? While most of the world may see this sovereign act as provocative, the Israeli government has the right to establish its own red lines, and not to accept the '67 lines as being the starting point for negotiations."
As Minister Michael Eitan said, Hotovely says that "the more significant point is the Prime Minister should be accountable to his party. There are limits to how much a person can go to elections with election promises against the formation of a Palestinian state and to act in the opposite manner, through his announcement at Bar Ilan, and then will he also break promises on the resumption of construction??? Leaders need credibility to be re-elected, they need their party's backing, and they need to have a coalition. There are limits to how much can be the opposite" Hotovely reminds us before adding and specifying that the Yesha Council will update the Likud party regarding the resumption of construction in the area.
In her opinion if the freeze will cease, then it might be no more than a bluff as Defense Minister Barak will continue to practice his policies as if he were the sole sovereign of the area, yet things will be clarified very quickly when a directive from the top will come down to the people, if people who want to build their homes will run into walls and insurmountable obstacles. "Soon we'll know if it is deception, and if it is we will fight against this fraud."
And although she is sure that nothing will come of the security talks with the Palestinians, MK Hotovely is troubled by the possibility that Netanyahu during the talks will undertake commitments such as accepting Olmert’s pledges in previous negotiations, and together they could provide the basis for future Palestinian demands.
This article was originally published on August 22nd in Hebrew on Arutz 7. The orignal article in Hebrew can be found here: http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/208349
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