Likud Divided Over Palestinian State
Excerpts;
Likud MK Dan Naveh is expected to face stiff opposition to his proposal for the Likud to endorse the formation of a Palestinian state when he convenes the leadership of the Likud’s ideological bureau on Sunday at the party’s Tel Aviv headquarters.
Naveh, who chairs the bureau, believes that the move is necessary to attract voters who left the Likud for Kadima in the last election and to rebuild the Likud as a center-right party. He hopes that even Likud MKs who left the party for Kadima would return if the proposal passes.
“The Likud has to face the reality whether we like it or not,” Naveh said. The proposal also includes a clause banning the Likud from merging with other parties on the Right.But the party’s hawks have said that it made no sense for the Likud to make such decisions at a time when the IDF is in the midst of fighting Palestinian terror.
Likud MK Yisrael Katz, who heads the Likud’s governing secretariat, is expected to face off against Naveh and try to block the proposal from passing. He will convene the secretariat later in the month to pass his proposal to seek a merger with Israel Beiteinu.
Commentary;
Here’s a real opportunity for Manhigut Yehudit to build on it’s base of support within Likud institutions by pressing Likud’s leadership on it’s equivocation on important issues such as this one. Likud gave a massive thumbs-down to Sharon regading this issue 3 years ago thanks to MY’s efforts. With Manhigut Yehudit’s increased influence manifested in the vote for Feiglin in the last Likud primary, now is the time to build on the result and continue the momentum inside Likud. Just as MY was an instrumental part of squashing Sharon’s effort for a Likud Kashrut to a “pa(sic) state” then, the effort must be duplicated now to an even greater extent. MB