Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettFlash 90

Minister of Economics and Trade Naftali Bennett, who heads the Bayit Yehudi party, reacted Thursday to US Secretary of State John Kerry's warning that Israel will face a “third intifada” if the “peace talks” with the Palestinian Authority (PA) fail.

"A united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty is a safeguard for peace and will not be an excuse for threats on the state of Israel,” Bennett said. "What is more, we have already learned the hard way that it is precisely the act of ceding parts of our homeland that bring terrorism and loss of legitimacy, and only standing firm brings quiet and security.”

"The world despises a country that neglects the security of its citizens, and will respect a country that stands up and insists upon the security of its citizens at any price,” he added.

"Failure of the talks will increase Israel's isolation in the world,” Kerry said Thursday in a Channel 2 interview. “The alternative to getting back to the talks is a potential of chaos. I mean, does Israel want a third intifada?”

“I believe that if we do not resolve the issues between Palestinians and Israelis; if we do not find a way to find peace, there will be an increasing isolation of Israel. There will be an increasing campaign of delegitiization of Israel that's taking place on an international basis. That if we do not resolve the question of the settlements and who lives where and how and what rights they have; if we don't end the presence of Israeli soldiers perpetually within the West Bank, then there will be an increasing feeling that if we cannot get peace with a leadership that is committed to nonviolence, you may wind up with leadership that is committed to violence.”