Dov Har-Shefi of the Likud’s Jewish Leadership faction said Sunday night that Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu should express regret over his own role in the expulsion of Jews from Gaza before blaming Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “Bibi forgot that the public remembers that [former Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon carried out the expulsion, not Ehud Olmert. And Bibi helped Sharon at every stage, almost until the very end,” he said.
Har-Shefi also criticized Netanyahu for believing that Israel can negotiate with certain factions within the Palestinian Authority. Israel has no potential peace partner, Har-Shefi said. “We need to remember that Hamas won 70 percent of the vote in free elections. Hamas wants to destroy us, just like the Nazis, may their names be erased,” he said.