Coalition chairman Ze'ev Elkin said Thursday he still isn't sure what Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will say in Washington.
Elkin, who attended the Prime Minister's confab with Likud MKs on Tuesday, told Israel National News, "it was more a consultation than an update. I'm not sure anyone really understood what direction he'll take. He listened to friends and took notes, especially about the criticism that we had on his political speech in the Knesset this week."
During the interview Elkin rejected dire predictions posed by some commentators about the Palestinian Authority's bid for a unilateral declaration of statehood to be recognized by the United Nations in September saying there is no reason to panic.
"We scare ourselves too much," Elkin said. "We are intimidated by potential outcomes and we cripple ourselves, and it will be no less painful. We can not make mistakes assuming something bad will happen in September and make all sorts of statements and plans. That approach, of making moves no matter what the cost, led to the Disengagement. We must not act 'at all costs.'"
When asked whether he was worried about the prime minister's meeting with Obama, Elkin said there is always concern.
"Meeting with a US President... you never know how you'll enter and how you'll come out. Once we went in and came out with Camp David."
Elkin expressed hope Netanyahu will correct the terminology he used in his speech to the Knesset on Tuesday.
"The Prime Minister should to take into account that what was said in Israel, is taken into account only as our starting point, so he should be careful. The fact that the prime minister used the term 'blocs' was not my cup of tea."
"If he wants to create consensus on the 'blocs' one doesn't do it in a speech, but using demographic facts on the ground. There are now 330,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria. It must be understood that it is impossible to transfer out the Arabs, and that there is no reason to discriminate against and expel Jews. "
Elkin called on Netanyahu to invoke former US President George W Bush's letter of commitment to Israel after the Disengagement during the meeting.
"A letter from Bush to Israel, if you still remember it, said we would receive recognition of the demographic facts created here after the Six Day War after the Disengagement. The Prime Minister will raise the issue. "
Elkin also expressed dissatisfaction with the wording used by Netanyahu this week about the Jordan Valley.
"The Prime Minister spoke about continued Israeli military presence in the valley. It was possible to interpret that as 'military, but not civilian.' So it is important that security arrangements indicate Israeli sovereignty in the valley will continue," Elkin said.
"Also on the 'Palestinian state,' I do not accept the Bar-Ilan speech, but one thing has to be a clear point of consensus: the moment Hamas joins the official Palestinian leadership, we do not agree to the creation of Hamastan in Judea and Samaria. Allowing Hamas in makes Judea and Samaria a copy of Gaza and Tel Aviv a copy of Sderot."