National Union Knesset Members are furious over Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s intention to ask the Security Cabinet to put the stamp of approval on a de facto building freeze in Judea and Samaria for 10 months. Eastern Jerusalem would not be affected, and previously approved projects will continue.
The Prime Minister’s proposal would classify as criminals any Jew in Judea and Samaria who violate the freeze, which does not affect illegal Arab construction. The Security Cabnet is discussing the proposal at this hour, and the move was coordinated with the Obama government. Officials insisted that the proposal has no relation with the yet-to-be-finalized proposal for Israel to free up to 1,400 terrorists for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
“The people of Judea and Samaria that were coaxed into voting for Prime Minister Netanyahu should tar and feather everyone who urged people to vote for the Likud,” declared MK Dr. Aryeh Eldad.
His colleague MK Uri Ariel compared the proposed building freeze to the infamous British White Paper of 1939, which restricted Jewish immigration to Israel.
“These draconian steps will turn residents of Judea and Samaria into criminals,” he stated. He added that if nationalist ministers do not oppose the proposal, they will be held responsible. He specifically named Likud ministers Benny Begin, Moshe Yaalon, Jewish Home chairman Prof-Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz and Yisrael Beiteinu's Uzi Landau as well as Shas and Labor ministers.
”Malcolm MacDonald, author of the White Paper, can be proud,” MK Ariel declared. Seventy years after he published his anti-Semitic document, here comes the Israeli government and tries to follow in his footsteps.”
The measures that Prime Minister Netanyahu proposes would call for the arrest of regional council chairmen who do not enforce the proposed building freeze, which he called “anti-Zionist".
MK Eldad added, “We survived Pharaoh. We also will survive this.
Meanwhile National Union Chairman MK Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz added that the Prime Minister “is spitting in the face of those who were promised only a year ago that he would lead a change from the expulsion policies of [former Prime Minister Ariel]Sharon.
MK Katz called on Likud members to turn in their party membership cards and join his National Union party. He pleaded with Shas, Jewish Home, Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu MKs to bolt the coalition.
Likud MK Danny Danon called on the Prime Minister to bring his proposal to the Likud caucus or face a call to the party’s Central Committee to force the issue. Residents of Judea and Samaria are “the natural army of a nationalist government”, he stated. " But under the Netanyahu government, Defense Minister Ehud Barak [chairman of Labor] has turned the residents into enemies.”
MK Danon has arranged an urgent meeting Wednesday night, where Likud party legislators and leaders of Judea and Samaria will gather.