Barak Should Keep His Word
CBNNews.com
January 3, 2008
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Likud chairman and opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu said Defense Minister Ehud Barak should stick by his promise to pull Labor out of the government when the final Winograd Report is published.
The Winograd Commission's interim report, issued at the end of April, severely criticized the prime minister, defense minister and the chief of general staff on their handling of the Second Lebanon War. The complete report is due out by the end of the month.
Barak, who would like another shot at the premiership, has partially reneged on his earlier statement.
"I'll read the report and consider what is right for the country," Barak said recently.
Netanyahu also called on the prime minister to resign though Olmert has no intention of stepping down.
"When you release murderers in accordance with criteria set down in advance, you're sending the message that terrorism is permissible," Netanyahu told Army Radio.
"Furthermore, they're altering the definition 'blood on their hands' which establishes a precedent that it's possible to murder an Israeli, and [then] we'll release his killers. That's a sign of weakness on the part of the government," he said.
Netanyahu also accused the prime minister of arming terrorists rather than fighting terrorism.
"The government's diplomatic blindness continues with the relinquishment of the basic stipulation of every Israeli government -- the insistence on dismantling terror organizations," he said.
"Policy must insist on a war on terror while promoting peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Olmert, however, doesn't bother himself with this, but rather with a survival plan," he said.
Netanyahu also criticized the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and Yisrael Beitenu for propping up the Olmert government.
"How can Shas and Yisrael Beitenu be partners in a government that transfers weapons to terror organizations," he asked, echoing the sentiments of a sizable segment of the population.
"By remaining in the government, they're allowing these threats to materialize," Netanyahu said.
"The people want a different government, leadership and policy, and many of the MKs think so too. There are some MKs who back Olmert and are reluctant to go to elections because they want to hold on to their seats in the Knesset. They're not acting as public representatives, but rather are motivated by personal interests," he said.
Netanyahu further stated that engaging in diplomatic relations with the Hamas terror organization never occurred to him "or to anyone with eyes in his head."
"In the past, when we wanted to suppress suicide bombing activity, we took a tough stance against in Gaza, and the situation was resolved."
Trying to establish diplomatic relations with Hamas is irrelevant anyway, he said, because they would never honor any arrangement with the Jewish state.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
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