Hatnu'a Chairwoman Tzipi Livni
harshly criticized the Likud
Monday, following a statement made by Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar,
who said that the creation of a Palestinian state was never part of the
party's platform.
Speaking to students at Bar Ilan University, Livni said that Sa'ar's statement, "proves that the Bar Ilan speech,
which has become the leading media spin of the past few years, was
nothing more than lip service. "
"The Likud-Beiteinu ticket refuses to introduce into its
platform the same agenda that Netanyahu held up for the world to see,
the one he used to try to convince us how moderate he is, and how much
he wants peace," she said.
"Today, the entire world knows that it was nothing more than lip service – a mask Netanyahu wore around the world to make pretty speeches. These are the words he never wanted to say but had to, because the world pressured him to do so. These are the words he refused to live up to and these are the words he is burying today," she added.
In response, the Likud-Beitenu campaign issued the following statement:
"It is amazing to see how quickly Livni
sides with the Palestinians. You have
to be deaf and blind not to see and hear what is going on in Gaza and
the region, and insist on running towards a security and political
abyss."
"When will Livni admit that her political blindness endangers Israel? Will it be when Hamas
controls Judea and Samaria? Also, for Livni's information – the joint
political platform has yet to be released," the statement concluded.