New Right chairman MK Ayelet Shaked praised Defense Minister Naftali Bennett's decision on Sunday to approve Jewish construction in Hebron and spoke about efforts to prevent a third election campaign.
In an interview on Army Radio, Shaked was asked about the confrontation between Aryeh Deri and Avigdor Liberman. She replied: "it is a superfluous rift that shouldn't be fanned. Liberman and Deri also sat together in governments and worked together. It's possible to form a government with goodwill. There's no need to drag the state into unnecessary elections."
"The debate between Yisrael Beyteinu and the haredim on the draft law is unnecessary. There are no significant differences of substance between the haredim and Liberman. A compromise can be found. This will be a decision made by the politicians. Benny Gantz and Lapid have to decide whether to drag the state into elections or form a government. Public pressure should be exerted. Everyone should do what they can to prevent elections."
Regarding Defense Minister Naftali Bennett's decision to approve Jewish construction in Hebron, Shaked said. "I spent two years of my life as justice minister, together with Liberman as defense minister. We presented a professional legal opinion, the Attorney General approved it and Naftali Bennett made a courageous decision and sent a letter to the Hevron municipality, informing them that the protected housing has expired."
"Attorney General Mandelblit is an expert on international law and this was the joint work of the Defense and Justice Ministries. In light of the strong legal opinions of the Defense and Justice Ministries. I believe the matter will pass in court. We carried out very serious legal work. There is no reason for the Supreme Court to invalidate it. The Supreme Court today is more diverse and conservative and it's indisputable that this is private Jewish land."
Shaked explained that Jewish construction in Hebron's wholesale market complex is the closing of a circle. "The land of those killed during the Hevron massacre in 1929 has been in the hands of the mayor of Hevron, a murderer, until now." [The mayor of Hevron, Tayseer Abu Shneineh, is one of four Palestinian terrorists who was convicted for killing six Jews in a Hevron alley in 1980, including 2 US citizens and one Canadian. He was sentenced to life in prison but released in a subsequent prisoner exchange.]
"Now Bennett took this land from the hands of a terrorist and will establish a Jewish neighborhood there," Shaked concluded.