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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Reactions from the political aisle from Right and Left


* Yesha Council Director-General Pinchas Wallerstein said he was "relieved" by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. "I am proud of the high level of Zionism displayed by the prime minister," he said,"The speech made no mention of the evacuation of settlements or the freezing of construction. I hope this will allow the continuation of settlement."

* MK Danny Danon (Likud) said other members of the Likud would work to strike the words "Palestinian state" from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech,"I will attempt to cause this sentence, which was said under American pressure, never to come into being. The speech was brilliant, but Netanyahu has given in to American pressure."

* Ahmed Tibi: PM`s mountain turned into a moll hill, a public relations ploy .

* Aryeh Eldad: Today the PM lost the leadership of the nationalist camp.

* MK Zevulun Orlev, of the Jewish Home party, said that the policy represented a drastic change in stance and was an affront to the coalition agreement.

"Netanyahu offered lip service by agreeing to a demilitarized Palestinian state, thus disappointing most of his coalition partners," he said. "Netanyahu's speech requires a serious coalition discussion to ensure that the democratic resolution as it was manifested in the elections will be represented in the government's policy."

* MK Daniel Ben Simon:"This is a large step for the state of Israel and one giant leap for Netanyahu," said Ben Simon in a paraphrase of Neil Armstrong's famous 1969 moon statement,"This is the first time the head of the Revisionist right-wing says the words 'Palestinian state'", he added.

* Meretz leader Haim Oron said in a statement:"Although the speech does bear evidence to an encouraging shift from a person who, throughout his entire public life, warned against the establishment of a Palestinian state, and has finally acknowledged history's rules - Netanyahu's speech is too little, too late".