MK Orbach
MK OrbachIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The Jewish Home faction will hold a second meeting with the Yesha Council Monday to discuss ways of preventing the government's intention to demolish Jewish communities in Amona, Migron, Givat Assaf and the Ulpena Neighborhood of Beit El. The Yesha Council is an umbrella group of settlement leaders in Judea and Samaria.

MK Uri Orbach told Arutz Sheva Monday that his faction demands that the government request time to find legal ways of preventing the demolitions, in its response to the High Court on the matter. The government is expected to file its response to the Court Tuesday.

Orbach said that his personal position as MK is that "we cannot remain in the government if it destroys. Our job is to prevent destruction."

He said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu knows that the partnership between the Jewish Home and Likud is "in great danger now" and that if the Jewish Home bolts the coalition, Netanyahu could find himself facing even greater troubles soon after. Likud MKs will veer rightward, he predicted, as will Yisrael Beitenu and Shas, and the Jewish Home could turn out to be just the first domino to fall in the Coalition.

However, there have been signs that the faction's head, Minister Daniel Hershkovitz, may think otherwise. Hershkovitz was quoted in the press as saying that while he can leave the government, he "cannot leave the court" and that if the court has made a decision nothing can be done about it.
Orbach said that he believes Hershkovitz did not mean this in the way it was understood, and added that Hershkovitz is making a great effort to prevent the demolitions. "The court can decide but it cannot force us to participate," said Orbach.