(Ynet).Likud ministers, even those who are opposed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, are rallying around Benjamin Netanyahu on the heels of Sunday's policy speech at Bar-Ilan University, during which the prime minister endorsed the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state.
"Although I have reservations about certain aspects of the speech, the prime minister made some important remarks regarding the root causes of the conflict," Minister Benny Begin told Ynet Monday.
"In his speech Netanyahu presented a number of facts that are sometimes absent from public discourse in Israel and the world, such as why are we here? We are here because we have a historic right to be here, as opposed to those who claim Israel was established on account of the Holocaust," he said.
"The PM was right when he said the Holocaust would not have taken place had the State of Israel already existed."
Information Minister Yuli Edelstein told Ynet, "I think PM Netanyahu proved last night why he is the one who should be leading the country during these difficult times; his speech reflected the complex situation we are currently in."
Edelstein said he disagreed with Netanyahu's comments on a future Palestinian state, but added that he understood "the pressure he is facing."
