Jewish Home chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett made clear on Sunday that his party will be opposed to any “gestures” to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if they are brought to a vote in the cabinet.
Bennett was reacting to a report in the Haaretz newspaper on Sunday morning, which said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will unveil a series of confidence-building “gestures” toward the Palestinians during his meeting on Monday with President Barack Obama.
According to Haaretz, the measure will include the removal of checkpoints and easing movement restrictions on Palestinians. It will also include steps to improve the Palestinian economy – like approving infrastructure projects or approving master plans for Palestinian construction in parts of Judea and Samaria under full Israeli control.
"If the Palestinians see that terrorism will pay off, it will continue," Bennett warned Sunday evening, adding, "Israel is going through a wave of terror against its citizens, and this morning I heard talks about a package of gestures to the Palestinians."
"Maybe for once the Palestinians will make gestures to Israel, such as stop killing us?" said Bennett.
Israel has in the past made “gestures” to the PA, including the releases of terrorists held in Israeli prisons or allowing Palestinian Arabs to enter Israel without permits. The PA has usually responded to these moves by encouraging terrorism against Israelis.