The Likud’s Boaz Bismuth speaks to Israel National News about the new government and his recent visit to the Tomb of Joseph, during which there was shooting at IDF forces.
Bismuth described visiting Joseph’s Tomb as a “huge moment for any Jew.”
“It is a huge moment for for any Jew, that is something grand, something splendid, something I waited for many years,” he says. “Especially I remember I was a correspondent in Paris in 2000 when in the during the Second Intifada that place was violated by terrorists at that time and I looked at the pictures and I was shocked. So to go back last night was something huge.”
He adds that the shooting demonstrates to him that the Palestinian Arabs don’t understand that Jews respect holy places or the fact that Jews come to visit them.
“The fact that a Jew comes to visit the tomb of one of his biggest ancestors [and is attacked], that is something that I cannot understand. We are in 2002 now. You cannot peak on one hand that we don't respect the Oslo [Accords] but on the second hand one of the Oslo agreements is us being able to go to the Tomb of Joseph. So I don't understand that. How come in 2022 Palestinians still not only don't respect life of a Jew but they don't even respect a dead Jew like the grand Joseph.”
With former President Donald Trump likely announcing his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election next week, signalling the start of the Republican primary race, who is the best candidate for Israel?
“We have many friends in America and that is amazing, we've got also amazing friends in the Democratic Party and in the Republican Party,” he says.
Bismuth, who interviewed Trump many times, describes the former president as a “tremendous friend of Israel” who had “so many achievements” when it came to issues important to Israel.
“When you think today of the moving of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, this is Donald Trump. When you see the Abraham Accord, this is Donald Trump. When you see him in the normalization; this idea of all of a sudden Israel having normal relationships and not discreet with Arab states, that is also Donald Trump. So I have so much respect for this president.”
He adds that there are other strong candidates in the Republican Party that he respects, including Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Mike Pompeo, while also mentioning President Biden in the Democratic Party.
“We've got many friends and why? Because America and Israel, not only do we share true friendship, not only do we share common interests, but we share common values and this is something that we must never never forget… America and Israel we have a special relationship no matter the identity of the president.”
When asked about his thoughts on right-wing organizations saying they are worried that a right-wing agenda will not be implemented by the new government, as happened a few times under previous Netanyahu governments, he replies:
“Let's not forget that with Netanyahu, the right-wing in Israel has had great achievements. Prime Minister Netanyahu is the prime minister of everyone. Everybody knows him… Now you mustn't forget one thing. It takes step after step. First of all, you go to elections, you win elections, then you form a coalition, you form a government, and then you take steps. You cannot judge a government that wasn't even born yet. But it's going to be a very coherent government. It’s going to be a right-wing government definitely. If other Zionist parties would like to join, of course we never close the door. We want the government to satisfy all the Israeli people, Jews and Arabs.”
He continues: “This is this is the Likud party. This is who we are. Yet in a democracy, you have to satisfy the desires of the majority. The majority in Israel today is a conservative majority, and those people are expecting us to fulfill the requirements which are needed in Israel right now. We came not to talk, we came to do, we came to fulfill all the great expectations of the Israeli people.”
He also explains that regardless of the sensational coverage by liberal-leaning media outlets, living in Tel Aviv he sees that even people who did not vote for Likud are happy that it looks like there is finally a stable government, and that they will not need to go to the polls every six months.
“You know what I see ever since the elections, I see happy people because they will not need to go and vote every six months, because they will have finally a normal government that functions, because finally there will be respect of institution, because finally a prime minister will be someone that comes from the biggest party and not someone that has only six deputies behind him. We shall have finally a government and politicians that do not close the door but invite everybody to join,” he says. “Finally Israeli politics will not be about one person. Finally we shall go back to ideology, so finally the Israeli people are relieved.”