Barak, Netanyahu face political fallout from Hebron evictionRight wing lambastes Barak, calls for re
Barak, Netanyahu face political fallout from Hebron evictionRight wing lambastes Barak, calls for removing his authority on settlementsAs the ripples spread from the surprise evacuation of Jewish families from a contested property in Hebron on Wednesday, Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak face political fallout that could have unforeseen consequences.Netanyahu had stated Tuesday that the government would wait before implementing an eviction of the settlers from Beit Hamachpela, but after Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein advised that the matter should not wait, Barak approved the action.Absorption Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) expressed shock and dismay at the decision. “I hope that the prime minister did not know of the intent to evacuate,” he told Israel Radio. “Anything is preferable to the kind of surprise we’re experiencing right now. I am calling on the prime minister to put a stop to this once and for all.”Culture and Sport Minster Limor Livnat (Likud) called for a committee to “oversee all matters of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria… [and put] an end to today’s situation where the defense minister is the only authority to make decisions [in this area].”Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi) also issued a call to take jurisdiction of West Bank security issues away from the Defense Ministry.“The defense minister stuck his finger in the eye of most of the nation,” he said. “The evacuation was personally hijacked amid personal and political considerations, in opposition to most government ministers. The entire Israeli society will pay for this.”“The voice is the voice of Netanyahu and the hands are the hands of Barak,” said MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), alluding to the Biblical episode where Jacob dressed up in furs to trick his blind father Isaac into thinking he was his twin brother Esau.However, Minister without Portfolio Michael Eitan (Likud) sought to deflect blame for the incident, saying to Ynet News: ”It’s ridiculous that government ministers are criticized for a move made with the recommendation of the attorney general and with the full consent of the prime minister. If MKs are criticized, you have to have the courage to criticize the head of the system and not look for scapegoats.”Labor chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich also praised the attorney general and defense minister for “not allowing the security establishment and the rule of law to be trampled.”“I call on the Likud ministers,” she added, “not to vie for votes from the extreme right wing, but to act like ministers from a nationalist and responsible party.”Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) hinted on Tuesday that the dispute over Beit Hamachpela could lead to a rift between the government and Yisrael Beiteinu, whose 15 seats makes it the coalition’s second largest party after the Likud.via: TimesofIsrael -- source link