Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) stated at an event for the Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs that an interim deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would see at least 25% of Judea and Samaria residents evicted from their homes.
"No other country wants to be a national home for the Palestinians," Peri stated. "Israel understands that the lot would fall on the 'settlement blocs.' The deal would see 15-25% of Judea and Samaria evicted - but it's a reasonable compromise," he claimed.
Peri referred to the release of the terrorists in the coming days and said that the action was "painful," as he put it, to all of Israeli society. Despite this, he insisted that the "significance" that the move to release 104 terrorists on political negotiations is such that Israel must accept the government's position.
The Minister then called US involvement in the negotiations "unprecedented," presumably referring to reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry will "force" a solution on both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - even though both sides reject the US plan.
Last month, the MK seriously criticized the role of the Jewish Home party in the government, saying that the coalition partner's efforts to ensure a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria was ruining the peace process.
"The negotiations with the Palestinians will fail, and the crisis with the Americans will deepen, and this could certainly deteriorate into a third intifada," he predicted, if construction continued.
Peri's remarks follow news that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to announce plans next week for another 1,400 Jewish homes in the region. On Wednesday night, when reports of the new planned construction were made public, PA officials accused Israel of “killing the peace process.” They have also threatened to appeal to the International Criminal Courts over the issue, accusing Israel of "war crimes."
The US has been pushing Israel to agree to withdrawals from Judea and Samaria, especially the crucial Jordan Valley region. In response to the report, analyst Mark Langfan, who has critically analyzed and dissected Kerry's Jordan Valley plan, said "any Israeli general advocating the Jordan Valley plan is a military fraud, and I challenge them to a debate."