(Jpost).Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pledged to show the courage of former prime minister Menachem Begin to advance the diplomatic process that is set to begin Wednesday, and he challenged Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to follow the lead of Begin's peace partner, slain Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.
Speaking at a special Likud faction meeting at Jerusalem's Menachem Begin Heritage Center held in honor of the 33rd anniversary of Begin's 1977 election upheaval, Netanyahu said Begin proved that the Left did not have a monopoly on peacemaking.
"They said that if the Likud came to power there wouldn't be peace, but the Likud brought peace with Egypt that has lasted," Netanyahu said. "The threats haven't gone, but the advantages of a lasting peace are clearer than ever."
Netanyahu said lessons that could be learned from Begin include the need to insist on demilitarization of evacuated territory and other security steps and the need for courage to make key diplomatic moves.
"Our government has proven our willingness to take difficult steps," Netanyahu said. "For peace, we need leaders on the other side with courage of Sadat and [the late Jordanian] King Hussein. If we find leaders willing to accept demilitarization and take other security steps, we can bring peace too."
Likud ministers complained after the meeting that Netanyahu was twisting Begin's legacy to use as an excuse to make territorial concessions Begin would have opposed.
They pointed out that the quote atop a Begin poster placed near the table where they sat said "Better the challenges of peace than the pains of war," rather than one of his more frequent quotes about the importance of keeping Judea and Samaria "by the force of right and not by the right of force."
Begin Heritage Center director-general Mordechai Sarig urged Netanyahu and the MKs to be cognizant of the international battle over language and terminology. He said that Begin insisted on calling Judea and Samaria by their Biblical names.
Speaking at a special Likud faction meeting at Jerusalem's Menachem Begin Heritage Center held in honor of the 33rd anniversary of Begin's 1977 election upheaval, Netanyahu said Begin proved that the Left did not have a monopoly on peacemaking.
"They said that if the Likud came to power there wouldn't be peace, but the Likud brought peace with Egypt that has lasted," Netanyahu said. "The threats haven't gone, but the advantages of a lasting peace are clearer than ever."
Netanyahu said lessons that could be learned from Begin include the need to insist on demilitarization of evacuated territory and other security steps and the need for courage to make key diplomatic moves.
"Our government has proven our willingness to take difficult steps," Netanyahu said. "For peace, we need leaders on the other side with courage of Sadat and [the late Jordanian] King Hussein. If we find leaders willing to accept demilitarization and take other security steps, we can bring peace too."
Likud ministers complained after the meeting that Netanyahu was twisting Begin's legacy to use as an excuse to make territorial concessions Begin would have opposed.
They pointed out that the quote atop a Begin poster placed near the table where they sat said "Better the challenges of peace than the pains of war," rather than one of his more frequent quotes about the importance of keeping Judea and Samaria "by the force of right and not by the right of force."
Begin Heritage Center director-general Mordechai Sarig urged Netanyahu and the MKs to be cognizant of the international battle over language and terminology. He said that Begin insisted on calling Judea and Samaria by their Biblical names.
