Annexation Plan Sparks Threat to Topple Israel Government
Source: Bloomberg
By Jonathan Ferziger Jun 8, 2014 4:10 PM ET
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus strongest coalition partner threatened to bring down the government if it tries to annex West Bank settlements following the breakdown of Mideast peace talks.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid, speaking at the annual Herzliya Conference on politics and security, also challenged Netanyahu to reveal a map showing how he would delineate the borders of Israel and a Palestinian state. Lapids Yesh Atid party holds the second-greatest number of parliamentary seats after the prime ministers Likud-Yisrael Beitenu alliance.
If there is any effort to annex even one settlement unilaterally, Yesh Atid will not just leave the government, it will bring it down, Lapid said today. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the governments chief peace negotiator, said she would also withdraw her partys support if Netanyahu tries to annex any part of the West Bank without Palestinian agreement.
The two coalition partners presented a united front in reaction to a proposal by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett to annex most of the West Bank in phases that would start with the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements near Jerusalem. While Netanyahu has not adopted the plan, Lapid said the prime ministers push for renewed construction in existing settlements has led to an unprecedented crisis in relations with the U.S.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-08/annexation-plan-sparks-threat-to-topple-israel-government.html
BillZBubb
(10,650 posts)It hasn't happened for a long, long time, but maybe...
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)and his land grab stopped.
Blue_Adept
(6,402 posts)Seriously, how many decades can this situation go on before the whole thing just ends in catastrophe? I mean, tensions and issues there like this have been going on my entire life and I'm profoundly shocked that it has not escalated to a disastrous level. What is the breaking point where it turns to chaos?