Ofer Shelah: Blue and White will remove land swap clause from peace plan
In his first interview since the "Deal of the Century" was released, the Blue and White MK told Army Radio that "it's a shame" a land swap clause is in the plan.
By MAARIV ONLINEMK Ofer Shelah speaks at a Saturday event in Beersheba.(photo credit: BEERSHEBA MUNICIPALITY)
Blue and White MK Ofer Shelah expressed his support for US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century" during an interview with Army Radio on Sunday morning.However, he spoke out against the clause which suggests that Israel and a Palestinian state would exchange land from areas in Israel currently occupied by Arab communities."The vision that Trump and his people presented speaks expicitly on a Palestinian state spread out beside Israel while protecting the security interests of Israel. That is my vision," Shelah said. "But in the plan, there is an obscene clause on land swaps in [Israeli land populated by Arabs]. There is no need to speak about this – and when Blue and White leads the country, this clause will be removed from the agenda."He added that, "It's a shame that this clause is there, but except for that, we will bring the deal to get permission in the Knesset."When asked about the option of immediate annexation of the Jordan Valley and Judea and Samaria, Shelah immediately attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "You see Netanyahu's conduct in this, because of course this is not what the Americans intended. We are talking about local cooperation... The maneuvers [Netanyahu] does in the dark do not help."We are speaking about international support," Shelah continued. "We need partners for our vision, and the way Netanyahu conducted himself only put that vision at risk. If we get to the point where the other side crumbles and doesn't exist, then the vision doesn't exist. Maybe that's what Netanyahu is aiming for – but not Blue and White."This article was translated by Tamar Beeri.
