Bennett: Netanyahu, let go, let go. We all want to remember the good you brought

June 6, 2021   

Naftali Bennett, chairman of Yamina and the designated prime minister of the left-wing government, issued a belligerent statement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening (Sunday) - and called on Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin to schedule the swearing-in of the new government for this coming Wednesday. Bennett's full words: "In a few days, God willing, we will swear in a new government. As is the way of the world, some of the parties will be included in it, and others will sit in opposition. Just as we, in Yamina, have been functioning until these very days as opposition to the current government. That's all. This is not a catastrophe, this is not a disaster. A change of government. A normal and obvious event in any democratic country. The regime in the State of Israel is not monarchical. No one has a monopoly on power. Every government, by nature, deteriorates and degenerates after many years, it is replaced, and God forbid, repeats itself. This is the healthy life cycle in a normal country. The new government will ultimately stand the test of the people. We sat down earlier, all the party leaders together, and I can tell you that there is a good spirit among everyone, and above all a desire to get to work as quickly as possible. We will act so as not to disappoint you, so that you feel that someone there in Jerusalem cares about you, that the ministers are working for you. Not for ourselves. For you. There are those who oppose The unity government and is working to prevent its establishment, and that's perfectly fine. You can speak against it, write against it, and even demonstrate against it. Not all opposition to the government is incitement, and it's not permissible to block critical articles on Facebook, no matter how harsh they may be. During my years in politics, I understood that a leader must know how to listen to criticism, contain it, and even if it's unjust or excessive - to develop a thick skin and resilience, and move on. But - criticism on the one hand, and worrying behavior on the other. In recent weeks, a violent machine has been deployed against Knesset members from the right and from New Hope: it's a funded, managed operation, the goal of which is to break them, so that they will turn against and vote against the new government. In this operation, unfortunately, all means are kosher.

My response to Bennett: Liar pic.twitter.com/gLRjkH9Yd2

— Benjamin Netanyahu - Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) June 6, 2021

I heard Netanyahu today tell his supporters, in exactly this language: "Don't be afraid to get into them." "Getting into them" means following a member of Knesset for an entire day in a car, with deafening loudspeakers, scaring her children on the way to school, threatening them with dismissal from work, and sending curses and threats from all sides. I call out to Mr. Netanyahu from here: Let go. Free the country to move on. People are allowed to vote in favor of forming a government even if you are not at its head. A government that, by the way, is ten degrees more right-wing than the current one. Netanyahu claimed today in his voice that he never agreed to form a government that relies on Mansour Abbas. We all understand that he is not telling the truth. We all watched "Abu Yair" courting Mansour Abbas. After all, I was part of negotiations to establish a government headed by Netanyahu with the Ra'am, and I know exactly what Netanyahu promised them. After all, all of our negotiations with the Ra'am were based on what the Likud had already committed to giving, only that we were a little tougher and more conservative. The things are documented and I assume they will be revealed. Who does Netanyahu think he is working for? The only difference between me and Netanyahu in this context is that Netanyahu hides his meetings with Mansour, and I, on the other hand, respect Mansour and do not hide. I tell the public things as they are.

Mansour is just making fun of Bennett. I was involved in the talks with Mansour Abbas at every stage. What he sold him - we never thought of offering.
Mansour Abbas "told" Bennett and he believed him and sold him the Negev.
I call for the withdrawal of any agreement or offer to support the government that Mansour received from Likud. There will be none. Bennett, do you know why? Because there is none.

— Yoav Kisch Yoav Kisch (@YoavKisch) June 6, 2021

Netanyahu also tells you that the Negev is being sold. Again, a complete lie. The truth is that Netanyahu is the one who sold the Negev during his 12 years of rule, to illegal construction, violence, protectionism, break-ins to IDF bases, and the loss of broad governance. Our regularization plan does the opposite - its goal is to restore governance, and to work to concentrate the Bedouins from all the surrounding hills, into regularized settlements. This is good for the Bedouins and good for the state. Instead of rolling the problems over, we intend to address them. Netanyahu also declares that this is an extreme left-wing government. This is another lie. The government that I head, a right-wing man, wearing a kippah, the flesh and blood of religious Zionism, a government with a center-right majority, both in the cabinet and in other forums, is absolutely not a "left-wing government." And in general, it is not "us and them." No one here is an enemy. There are citizens for it, and there are those against it, there are rabbis for it and those against it. Sometimes there are several different opinions in the same family, and it is possible to get along. Everything is fine. Mr. Netanyahu, don't leave scorched earth behind you. All of us, the entire nation, want to remember the good you brought during your service, and God forbid, not a bad spirit that you will leave behind with your departure. As far as I am concerned, I will continue to treat you with respect. I am addressing Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin: Set the vote to form the government for this coming Wednesday. That is appropriate, and the authority is in your hands. We know that Netanyahu is pressuring you to delay the vote, to postpone, to pull it, for another five days, in order to give more time to hunt down defectors. This may be in Netanyahu's best interest, but you know, Yariv, it is not in the best interest of the country. The Likud has understood this for a long time too. Free us from more long days of poison, fire, and smokestacks. Yariv, you swore allegiance to the country, and not to a specific person. The people expect you to do this. I thank those who support me and the MKs of Yamina, of New Hope, and the entire coalition. Your public support is important to us. However, I also understand those in the public who are afraid and there are good people who feel betrayed. I am sorry for the harm "In you. Since the elections, I have acted with all my might for your sake, and in the light of the supreme compass - the good of the State of Israel. We will do everything so that a year from now you will look back and find in your hearts the place to understand my decisions. With God's help, we will succeed.".