Naftali Bennett, who heads the merged Jewish Home-National Union slate of Knesset candidates, reminded President Shimon Peres Monday that the Oslo Accords “brought us more than 1,600 murdered Israelis.”
Responding to the President’s controversial remarks on political issues in the middle of the election campaign, Bennett stated, “Enough, already. The President of the country is supposed to represent all of the country, not just a part of it.”
Peres said on Sunday that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas wants peace and is the only man with whom Israel can sign an agreement.
“Mr. President, it is clear that your intentions were good, but that does not make any difference. The time has come for some soul searching. Perhaps giving land to our enemies does not work?
“Perhaps you are mistaken? It is reasonable to have a Palestinian Authority country that will rain thousands of missiles on Tel Aviv?”
Bennett recalled that the Arab public in Judea, Samaria and Gaza went to the polls eight years ago and “elected a legislature with a decisive majority for Hamas – 57 percent of the legislature. Hamas – which calls for the destruction of Israel. With them, you want to make peace?”
Abbas’ Fatah party is in the midst of reconciliation with the rival Hamas terrorist organization, and Hamas has allowed Fatah to hold on Friday its first public rally in Gaza in six years, to mark the founding of the terrorist party founded by Yasser Arafat.
Bennett said Peres should stop saying that “there is no alternative” other than to accept to Abbas’ demands for a Palestinian Authority state.
“There is an alternative – sovereignty over Area ‘C’ with citizenship for Arabs,” Bennett said, referring to the areas of Judea and Samaria that include most of the Jewish population of approximately 300,000.
Bennett reminded Peres, “The bottom line is that public elected the government of Israel, and you have no right to advance policies that are surrounded by deep difference of opinion.”