Yisrael Beitenu chief Avigdor Lieberman spoke at a party meeting on Monday, where he blasted the government’s handling of the ongoing terror wave.
“This week we’re celebrating the holiday of Purim, but this government doesn’t need Purim since it’s been playing dress-up all year. This government is as different from a real nationalist government as Mordecai was from the evil Haman.”
“This week Minister [Aryeh] Deri spoke to me, telling me that he had spoken with officials in the government and that I ought to consider joining the coalition.”
“I told him very clearly that I have nothing personal against Prime Minister Netanyahu, but that we have a serious disagreement on the issues, and for us to join there’d have they’d have to satisfy our requirements in three major areas: security, immigration and absorption, and religion and state.”
“If our demands are accepted, we’ll be happy to join the government; but with no dramatic changes on those three fronts and without acceptance of our demands, there’s nothing to talk about.”
The specific demands Lieberman referred to include destruction of the Hamas regime in Gaza; coalition support for a bill which would enable the death penalty for terrorists; the ability of the Knesset to ban political parties for supporting terrorism, even over the objection of the Supreme Court; and immediate permission for 2,000 housing units to be built in the major blocs in Judea and Samaria; civil marriage legislation; reform of the state’s conversion system; and restoration of the draft law as originally passed.