At the Sunday morning weekly cabinet meeting, ministers expressed their opinion regarding Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent Bar Ilan address, in which he expressed support for the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state.

Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) had words of praise for the prime minister’s address, a minority opinion among fellow ministers. Fellow Labor ministers Dr. Avishai Braverman and Yitzchak Herzog echoed Ben-Eliezer’s remarks.

Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) stated “there is no peace partner”, stressing Israel continues to give but receives nothing in return. Dr. Benny Begin (Likud) rejected calls for a Palestinian entity in Eretz Yisrael as well. Rabbi Dr. Daniel Hershkowitz (Bayit HaYehudi) stated the PA (Palestinian Authority) must recognize Israel as a Jewish state if the conflict is to end.

Shas leader Eli Yishai questioned if the PA is seeking two states, one for itself and one for Hamas, or if the PA is willing to live alongside Israel in peace.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)