Shteinitz: Likud Is "Pragmatically Right-Wing"
Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz, who supported the now-defeated disengagement plan, told Arutz-7 last night that the Likud is of the "pragmatic right-wing" and that it is not, in principle, against the uprooting of Jewish communities from Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
"Prime Minister Sharon is definitely in an awkward position," Shteinitz said. "He must, as he announced, honor the results of the referendum, and in fact, as of now the plan is no longer relevant. On the other hand, as the elected leader of Israel, he must do what he can to ensure that there is no diplomatic paralysis. I therefore assume that within a few months, he will come up with another plan in the same general direction, something a bit more moderate. He will likely propose a plan to uproot only a few communities, for instance, and I assume it will pass in the government and Knesset. I don't think that it has to be passed in a referendum; other countries don't hold referenda on diplomatic matters. The referendum we just held was a mistake by the Prime Minister, though once he did it, he must abide by the results."
Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch then asked, "Is there a chance that the Prime Minister will try to implement a plan that will not include the removal of any Yesha communities? Perhaps he learned a lesson from the Likud members that the Likud is not a party that will dismantle communities in the Land of Israel?"
Shteinitz responded, "Allow me to disagree with you. I think that the message of most of the voters, and even of the ministers who opposed the plan, [is not that]. Even Uzi Landau has said that he is aware that painful concessions will be required in the future, and he specified that this includes even the removal of communities."
A-7: "Only with an agreement, not unilaterally."
Shteinitz: "True, but this means that the most right-wing minister in the Likud does not object in principle to the uprooting of Yesha settlements. The Likud is a right-wing, pragmatic party - we're not Tchiyah [a right-wing break-away from the Likud formed after the signing of the Camp David accords with Egypt in the late 1980's], and we're not the National Union. We're also not Meretz or Labor who are willing to divide Jerusalem and return to the 1967 borders... We must know where the Likud is positioned."
Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz, who supported the now-defeated disengagement plan, told Arutz-7 last night that the Likud is of the "pragmatic right-wing" and that it is not, in principle, against the uprooting of Jewish communities from Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
"Prime Minister Sharon is definitely in an awkward position," Shteinitz said. "He must, as he announced, honor the results of the referendum, and in fact, as of now the plan is no longer relevant. On the other hand, as the elected leader of Israel, he must do what he can to ensure that there is no diplomatic paralysis. I therefore assume that within a few months, he will come up with another plan in the same general direction, something a bit more moderate. He will likely propose a plan to uproot only a few communities, for instance, and I assume it will pass in the government and Knesset. I don't think that it has to be passed in a referendum; other countries don't hold referenda on diplomatic matters. The referendum we just held was a mistake by the Prime Minister, though once he did it, he must abide by the results."
Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch then asked, "Is there a chance that the Prime Minister will try to implement a plan that will not include the removal of any Yesha communities? Perhaps he learned a lesson from the Likud members that the Likud is not a party that will dismantle communities in the Land of Israel?"
Shteinitz responded, "Allow me to disagree with you. I think that the message of most of the voters, and even of the ministers who opposed the plan, [is not that]. Even Uzi Landau has said that he is aware that painful concessions will be required in the future, and he specified that this includes even the removal of communities."
A-7: "Only with an agreement, not unilaterally."
Shteinitz: "True, but this means that the most right-wing minister in the Likud does not object in principle to the uprooting of Yesha settlements. The Likud is a right-wing, pragmatic party - we're not Tchiyah [a right-wing break-away from the Likud formed after the signing of the Camp David accords with Egypt in the late 1980's], and we're not the National Union. We're also not Meretz or Labor who are willing to divide Jerusalem and return to the 1967 borders... We must know where the Likud is positioned."