Meretz leader: Netanyahu advancing bi-national, undemocratic state
Amir Peretz calls on Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to publicly oppose annexation without agreement.
By JEREMY SHARONLABOR’S AMIR PERETZ (left) and Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz join forces on Monday.(photo credit: LABOR-GESHER PARTY SPOKESPERSON)
The leaders of Israel’s left-wing parties gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning to denounce the Trump proposals, arguing that they would lead to a bi-national state which would destroy Israel’s Jewish and democratic character.Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz declared that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no mandate to carry out the plan as head of an interim government, while Labor-Gesher leader Amir Peretz called on Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to oppose unilateral annexations before the upcoming election.Both leaders expressed the concern that Israel would annex the land apportioned it by US President Donald Trump’s plan without following through on allowing a Palestinian state, also endorsed by the proposals, to be established.Netanyahu has implied that he will seek to annex these territories before the upcoming election.“Netanyahu does not have a mandate to carry out any plan, and certainly not annex substantial portions of the [West Bank] territories and the settlements,” said Horowitz.“As the prime minister of an interim government of an interim government who is being put on trial for severe criminal charges he and his government have no legitimacy to annex even one dunam of land in a unilateral manner,” the Meretz leader continued, saying that only a new government “could deal” with the US plan.“This is a plan that starts with annexation but will not continue to any understanding with the other side, continued Horowitz, adding that annexing territory immediately would mean “a peace plan with no peace at the end of it but will instead be an annexation plan that will turn Israeli into a bi-national state.”Peretz was similarly strident in his rejection of any steps to annex territories before the election.“Someone who hurries to annex isolated settlements in Judea and Samaria wants to ensure that a peace process ends before it even begins,” said Peretz.“That is what Netanyahu wants to do.
“I call on [Blue and White leader] Benny Gantz to state that there will not be annexation without a comprehensive agreement. That there will not be unilateral steps but rather an effort to arrive at peace,” continued the Labor leader, and said that Blue and White should oppose any implementation of the Trump plan before the election so that the center-left bloc can defeat Netanyahu.
