Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz told Arutz-7's Emanuel Shilo this morning that the "request" by Prime Minister Sharon to support his positions is "very strange. I don't think he himself totally supports a PA state or the Road Map plan... But aside from that, the Likud never had such a demand for total unanimity in the government, and neither did any other government in Israel... Sharon himself disagreed with then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir about Madrid; I don't recall that he asked Shamir to fire him..."
Shteinitz said that even if Sharon feels that a PA state is inevitable, "it's a very bad tactical mistake to say now what your final negotiating position is. I would like to note that the Palestinians never recognized Israel's right to exist. They recognized our existence - they have no choice, and in fact one of the requirements for destroying something is to recognize that it exists - but they never recognized the justness of Zionism or of the Jewish People's right to even part of the land of Israel."
"Let me make life difficult for you for a moment," Arutz-7's Shilo said. "Will you now be able to convince people to vote for the Likud when it is headed by a man who not only supports a PA state, but wants to prevent people who oppose it from being part of his government? Can someone who opposes a PA state actually vote for such a party?"
"The answer is unequivocally yes," Shteinitz answered, "and I'll explain why. Most of the party is against a PA state, and they will have much weight. Secondly, the true choice in the coming elections is between the two large parties. People who vote for smaller parties are giving up on their option of really influencing the direction of the country. It's always easier to identify with the small parties, but they will have no real influence; they will leave the government in protest, and then return, etc., as we have seen. But if one wants to really have influence, he will vote for either Likud or Labor..."
Shilo then asked about theories floating around that Sharon doesn't really want to win by such a large margin because that will make it harder for him to form a unity government with Labor. "This is truly a far-reaching speculation," Shteinitz said, "and I think the true problem now is not by what margin to win, but rather whether to win at all, in light of the headlines of alleged corruption... At present, the victory of the right-wing is in doubt, and those who want to guarantee the victory of the nationalist camp will vote for the Likud, but those who want to take a chance on Mitzna winning will vote for either the left or for tiny right-wing parties."
Shteinitz said that even if Sharon feels that a PA state is inevitable, "it's a very bad tactical mistake to say now what your final negotiating position is. I would like to note that the Palestinians never recognized Israel's right to exist. They recognized our existence - they have no choice, and in fact one of the requirements for destroying something is to recognize that it exists - but they never recognized the justness of Zionism or of the Jewish People's right to even part of the land of Israel."
"Let me make life difficult for you for a moment," Arutz-7's Shilo said. "Will you now be able to convince people to vote for the Likud when it is headed by a man who not only supports a PA state, but wants to prevent people who oppose it from being part of his government? Can someone who opposes a PA state actually vote for such a party?"
"The answer is unequivocally yes," Shteinitz answered, "and I'll explain why. Most of the party is against a PA state, and they will have much weight. Secondly, the true choice in the coming elections is between the two large parties. People who vote for smaller parties are giving up on their option of really influencing the direction of the country. It's always easier to identify with the small parties, but they will have no real influence; they will leave the government in protest, and then return, etc., as we have seen. But if one wants to really have influence, he will vote for either Likud or Labor..."
Shilo then asked about theories floating around that Sharon doesn't really want to win by such a large margin because that will make it harder for him to form a unity government with Labor. "This is truly a far-reaching speculation," Shteinitz said, "and I think the true problem now is not by what margin to win, but rather whether to win at all, in light of the headlines of alleged corruption... At present, the victory of the right-wing is in doubt, and those who want to guarantee the victory of the nationalist camp will vote for the Likud, but those who want to take a chance on Mitzna winning will vote for either the left or for tiny right-wing parties."