Bennett: Netanyahu and Trump to build Palestinian state after elections
“Total nonsense,” the Likud said in response.
By LAHAV HARKOVBennett: Netanyahu and Trump to build Palestinian state after elections, February 24, 2019 (Courtesy)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will go along with US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and call for a Palestinian state, Education Minister Naftali Bennett warned on his way into Sunday’s cabinet meeting.“Netanyahu and Trump are coordinating the presentation of a plan to establish a Palestinian state the day after the election,” he said.Bennett and the New Right had previously avoided directly attacking Netanyahu, positing that the right-wing base would respond negatively, but he shifted to a new tactic in his latest remarks. Bennett repeated what has long been reported, and said the Trump administration is waiting until after April 9 before presenting its plan in order to avoid interfering in Israel’s elections.“A day or two after the elections, they will present a plan to establish a Palestinian state on 90% [of the West Bank] and divide Jerusalem,” the New Right Party leader warned.According to Bennett, the next government will include the centrist Blue and White Party. “The only way to stop it is with a strong New Right,” he said.Netanyahu said soon after that it's "natural for [Bennett] to be stressed. "Elections do strange things to small parties, including making up baseless things," Netanyahu added.Likud responded by saying Bennett’s statements were “total nonsense with no connection to reality. After the elections, Netanyahu will establish a right-wing government.”Netanyahu said on Thursday that a government led by the Blue and White Party “will establish, I want to say sooner or later, but with them it will be much sooner, a Palestinian state... on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. It will be next to Afula and Beersheba... A Palestinian state will endanger our existence.”Blue and White has yet to present a platform on the matter, following the unification of Yesh Atid, Telem and Israel Resilience, whose candidates have stated different views on a possible two-state solution.