Bayit Yehudi MK: No such thing as Palestinians; cancel Oslo
Bill to pay damages for land lost to Palestinian Authority passes early vote.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: DECEMBER 31, 2015 04:01
MK Bezalel Smotrich called to cancel the Oslo Accords, while presenting legislation Wednesday that would require the government to pay landowners who lost land because of the agreement with the Palestinians.“There is no such thing as Palestinians,” Smotrich said, sparking outrage in the opposition, whose members shouted at him.The Bayit Yehudi MK added: “My friends in the opposition, we will annex [the West Bank], whether you want it or not. This is our Land of Israel. It was given to us by God.”Smotrich pointed to last week’s Torah portion, the last one in the book of Genesis, and said the opposition is angry because the stories take place in Beit El and Hebron and not in Tel Aviv.“We will cancel the Oslo Accords. You have no reason to be angry. Don’t rewrite history and the Torah. Everyone agrees; don’t waste your time,” Smotrich said.MK Hilik Bar (Zionist Union) shouted to Smotrich that he is “doing greater damage to Israel’s public diplomacy than the extreme Left. You should be ashamed!” MK Osama Sa’adi (Joint List) asked: “If you want to cancel the Oslo Accords, why hide it? You are continuing the settlement enterprise, which is a war crime.You stole hundreds of thousands of dunams from Palestinians, and now you’re asking to be paid damages?” The bill Smotrich and MK David Amsalem (Likud) proposed would have the state pay damages to the former owners of 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land that were transferred to the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction under the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993.The payments will cost the state an estimated NIS 30 million.The legislation passed a preliminary reading with 44 in favor and 40 opposed.MK Bezalel Smotrich called to cancel the Oslo Accords, while presenting legislation Wednesday that would require the government to pay landowners who lost land because of the agreement with the Palestinians.“There is no such thing as Palestinians,” Smotrich said, sparking outrage in the opposition, whose members shouted at him.
The Bayit Yehudi MK added: “My friends in the opposition, we will annex [the West Bank], whether you want it or not. This is our Land of Israel. It was given to us by God.”Smotrich pointed to last week’s Torah portion, the last one in the book of Genesis, and said the opposition is angry because the stories take place in Beit El and Hebron and not in Tel Aviv.“We will cancel the Oslo Accords. You have no reason to be angry. Don’t rewrite history and the Torah. Everyone agrees; don’t waste your time,” Smotrich said.MK Hilik Bar (Zionist Union) shouted to Smotrich that he is “doing greater damage to Israel’s public diplomacy than the extreme Left. You should be ashamed!” MK Osama Sa’adi (Joint List) asked: “If you want to cancel the Oslo Accords, why hide it? You are continuing the settlement enterprise, which is a war crime.You stole hundreds of thousands of dunams from Palestinians, and now you’re asking to be paid damages?” The bill Smotrich and MK David Amsalem (Likud) proposed would have the state pay damages to the former owners of 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land that were transferred to the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction under the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993.The payments will cost the state an estimated NIS 30 million.The legislation passed a preliminary reading with 44 in favor and 40 opposed.