Bennett backs away from open opposition to Trump plan
His rejection was based on opposition to a Palestinian state and information he had received that the US map for the application of sovereignty was finalized, and that no changes could be made.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFIsraeli minister of Defense Naftali Bennett speaks at the 17th annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'Besheva' group, on February 24, 2020(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett backed away on Monday from open opposition to US President Donald Trump’s peace plan until all its details are finalized.“Once the map and the plan are finalized we will make our decision,” Bennett said, adding the opportunity for sovereignty was historic but that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be an existential threat to the State of Israel.Bennett spoke out less than a week after he had slammed the plan. His earlier rejection was based on opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state and information he said he had received that the US map for the application of sovereignty was finalized, and that no changes could be made.The settler leadership had warned that the map contained details that would create a de facto building freeze and lead to the destruction of at least 15 settlements.In an interview in the Makor Rishon newspaper published Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that the map was not finalized and added that he had no plans to bring the issue of Palestinian statehood to a vote.The information that the map is not finalized and Netanyahu’s decision to focus any government and Knesset vote solely on the application of sovereignty has temporarily quelled some of the opposition, including on Bennett’s part.“Asserting Israeli sovereignty over parts of the land of Israel is a historic act,” said Bennett who was one of the first high-level politicians to support sovereignty, putting forward a plan already in 2012 for Israel to annex the entirety of Area C, where all the Israeli settlements are located.But Bennett cautioned, “founding a Palestinian terrorist state in the heart of Israel is an existential disaster.”The Trump plan calls for a demilitarized state on 70% of the West Bank.“We don’t know yet the details of the plan or the map – is it sovereignty or Palestine,” Bennett said, adding that, “We’re working to influence it, and bring about applying good Israeli sovereignty, one that we could support wholeheartedly.”
He made his comments in Hebrew and English and took a moment to thank Trump for his efforts on behalf of the State of Israel.“President Trump has proven to be huge friend of the State of Israel [as a result of] his actions, including the recognition of Jerusalem and of the Golan Heights. We’re profoundly thankful for that,” Bennett explained prior to a meeting between his Knesset faction and the Yesha Council.Yamina faction head MK Ayelet Shaked was more critical and called on Netanyahu to provide information on the sovereignty map.“We are once again asking Netanyahu to show us the map. He must do everything possible to ensure that the map is changed, so that Israel has [territorial] contiguity and the Palestinians are in the enclaves and not as the situation is today, with Palestinian [territorial] contiguity and Israeli enclaves,” she said.“We will support the application of sovereignty but not the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Shaked added.Yesha Council head David Elhayani showed Yamina the map of the Trump plan as it was initially unveiled in January, so he could explain the dangers hidden in the plan.Elhayani, who is also the head of the Jordan Regional Council, said that as the settler leader with the “most to lose,” his motto was still: “no to the Trump plan, no to a Palestinian state and yes to sovereignty.”Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz underscored his concern about the plan, noting that it didn’t just pose a danger to thousands of settlers “but to the nation of Israel as a whole.”In the Knesset plenum, Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman, who supports sovereignty, said he was skeptical that Netanyahu planned to move ahead with annexation.“Who has seen the maps?” asked Liberman, noting that talks about the map have been going on for months.“None of the top brass in the IDF, not the head of the Shin Bet and not the chief-of-staff have seen the maps," Liberman said. "What annexation are we speaking about, who is going to execute this, someone has to, so I am doubtful this will happen."
