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Hazan threatens to take on the government

January 23, 2016

MK Oren Hazan (Likud) went on TV to state his threat that he will stop voting with the coalition, after Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) on Friday evicted 200 Jews from two buildings in Hevron they had taken residence of a day prior after buying them in full from an Arab seller.

Speaking on Channel 10, Hazan said that “there cannot be a situation in which people who bought houses in cash cannot enter their homes.”

“For half-a-year I’ve been shouting out against his (Ya’alon’s) incorrect path,” added the freshman MK.

Hazan, together with Deputy Regional Development Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) and Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich on Friday warned the Prime Minister that they would buck coalition discipline and bring down the government, unless the Jews were returned to the strategic buildings. The coalition government is made up of a minimum 61 MK majority, meaning one MK could bring it down.

In response, MK Shai Nachman of the leftist Zionist Union said on the show that he doesn’t believe Hazan’s threats.

“At the last minute they all fall in line, currently Bogie Ya’alon is doing the right thing and defending the rule of law in the territories; if the legality of the homes is approved – it will cause an uproar,” he said.

Also taking part in the TV show panel was journalist Shimon Riklin, who replied, “when Ya’alon says that he wants to preserve the law he is deceiving the public, because the law in Judea and Samaria is Bogie Ya’alon.”

“He evacuated the buildings because he is currently in a very good momentum against the right-wing,” added Riklin. “If you are a right-winger and the Defense Minister of the right – start acting like a Defense Minister of the right.”

Ya’alon on Friday claimed he was enforcing the law against “squatters.” Jews in Hevron suffer draconian limitations, requiring approval for purchases, security clearance and also approval from the political echelon before buying a new home.

The Defense Minister received backing from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhau on Friday. Meanwhile Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett has been coming in for heat from members of his own party for not taking any action on the eviction,

Bennett was also called out by nationalist activist and attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said, “you can’t sit in a government that expels the settlers and treats terror with kid gloves, and at the same time give criticism like the leading member of the Opposition. Bennett can bring down Defense Minister Ya’alon, and not only criticize his failures. The time has come to stop talking and start doing.”

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