Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud), who is filling in for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during the premier’s trip to the United States this week, warned Netanyahu not to surrender to pressure from Washington.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit is taking place in the wake of heightened tensions between Israel and the American administration, and many expect President Barack Obama to exert heavy pressure on Netanyahu to extend the 10-month ban on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria to also include a large part of Jerusalem.
At a toast marking the upcoming Jewish festival of Passover, the festival commemorating Hebrew freedom from subjugation, Minister Shalom told over a thousand supporters and activists that the Likud party won last year’s election on a platform that included support for the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
“They (the international community) told the Prime Minister to recognize a two-state solution, then to freeze construction, then to start negotiations,” Shalom said. “There are no negotiations. There was a party (Kadima) that took that road and it is now in the opposition. Are we in power to fulfill their platform? Those who cling to their principles will ultimately be victorious.”
Shalom also stressed that the ban on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria that U.S. President Barack Obama pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu to enact last time he was in Washington is scheduled to end on September 26. The deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that construction will resume after that date and that Netanyahu will appoint a minister of Jerusalem Affairs upon his return from abroad. He further stressed that Netanyahu has “the mandate of the Jewish people throughout the generations to keep Jerusalem united forever.”