(Haaretz).Senior ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party on Wednesday pulled out of a political rally organized by supporters of West Bank settlers to protest the American demand to freeze Israeli construction in the Palestinian territories, and it turned out to attract a low crowd of only 250 people.
Likud ministers Gilad Erdan, Yuli Edelstein, Michael Eitan, and Moshe Kahalon canceled their scheduled appearances out of fear that their participation would be interpreted as an inner-party mutiny against the premier.
Officials close to the prime minister expressed satisfaction that the much talked about rebellion inside the Likud had been quelled even before it started. They said the event would end up being anti-climactic.
"Netanyahu proved that he knows how to bring results politically, and everyone saw it now," one official said. "Almost everyone who speaks at the rally will back the prime minister and stand by him."
Earlier Wednesday, Likud MK Carmel Shama announced that he too would not be attending the gathering. Earlier this week, Shama confirmed he would participate in the meeting.
Shama said he anticipated that the gathering would be used as a forum to criticize Netanyahu over his purported intention to agree to a settlement freeze. Thus, the lawmaker added, it would be improper for him to attend.
"It's a pity that there are those who think that supporting settlements is tantamount to mutiny," Likud MK Danny Danon, he of the more hawkish wing of the party, said. "We will support the prime minister in his steps against terrorism, but we will not support him [in case of] the establishment of a Palestinian state."
The conference, which was held at the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv, aimed to inject momentum into the public campaign to renew large-scale construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Eitan had proposed that the conference be postponed to a later date.
The conference organized under the banner, "Netanyahu, be strong before Obama." It was organized by the pro-settler camp within the Likud. Among the party's lawmakers attending were only Danon, Tzipi Hotoveli, and Miri Regev.
Likud ministers Gilad Erdan, Yuli Edelstein, Michael Eitan, and Moshe Kahalon canceled their scheduled appearances out of fear that their participation would be interpreted as an inner-party mutiny against the premier.
Officials close to the prime minister expressed satisfaction that the much talked about rebellion inside the Likud had been quelled even before it started. They said the event would end up being anti-climactic.
"Netanyahu proved that he knows how to bring results politically, and everyone saw it now," one official said. "Almost everyone who speaks at the rally will back the prime minister and stand by him."
Earlier Wednesday, Likud MK Carmel Shama announced that he too would not be attending the gathering. Earlier this week, Shama confirmed he would participate in the meeting.
Shama said he anticipated that the gathering would be used as a forum to criticize Netanyahu over his purported intention to agree to a settlement freeze. Thus, the lawmaker added, it would be improper for him to attend.
"It's a pity that there are those who think that supporting settlements is tantamount to mutiny," Likud MK Danny Danon, he of the more hawkish wing of the party, said. "We will support the prime minister in his steps against terrorism, but we will not support him [in case of] the establishment of a Palestinian state."
The conference, which was held at the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv, aimed to inject momentum into the public campaign to renew large-scale construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Eitan had proposed that the conference be postponed to a later date.
The conference organized under the banner, "Netanyahu, be strong before Obama." It was organized by the pro-settler camp within the Likud. Among the party's lawmakers attending were only Danon, Tzipi Hotoveli, and Miri Regev.