Tel-Chai Nation

He said he wouldn't uproot a single Jewish resident of Judea/Samaria, but then, a statement came out of his office saying Jewish residents should be allowed to live there under PLO control, sparking some justified outrage:

Tensions between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett reached new heights Monday when they battled over the possibility of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria remaining in a Palestinian state.

Relations between Netanyahu and Bennett have been strained since Bennett left his job as Netanyahu’s chief of staff in 2008, reportedly over a financial dispute. Netanyahu appointed Bennett to his cabinet reluctantly and has angered him by keeping him out of the loop on key issues.

The current fight began when Netanyahu’s office floated a trial balloon about leaving Jewish communities in the territory that would be transferred to Palestinian control, in a prospective agreement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Bennett called the idea dangerous and said it reflected a lack of values. His condemnation enraged officials in the Prime Minister’s Office who floated the idea in order to force Abbas to rule out Jews living in a Palestinian state on the day when the Holocaust is commemorated internationally.

This was downright offensive to say, and similarly, it's ridiculous for the PMO to say Bennett ruined plans to expose the PLO's true form when they already have. An investigation's been called for:

An investigation has been launched into the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin stated to Arutz Sheva Monday, over the reports that the Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has suggested leaving Jewish communities under Palestinian Authority (PA) jurisdiction in the event of an interim agreement.

The report first surfaced Sunday, when an anonymous source close to the PMO revealed to reporters that Netanyahu has pushed for Jewish communities to be allowed to remain in a Palestinian State if they choose to do so.

The report caused considerable controversy, angering PA officials and nationalists alike. PA officials declared that no "settler" would be allowed to remain; nationalist MKs, including Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) and MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud), expressed outrage at the implied disregard for the safety of Israeli citizens. Sources close to the PMO claim that the leak was intentional, to reveal to the international media the PA's real hatred for the Jewish people.

Now, Elkin said, an investigation is being launched to discover with reporter irresponsibly leaked information on the Prime Minister's plans to the press.

It could have been intentional, but was very poor regardless. And besides, The PLO did make clear they have no intention of allowing Jews to live in their districts. If Netanyahu was trying to resort to moral equivalence, that was wrong, and does little more than lead to more friction with Israelis in the know.

Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, islam, Israel, Knesset, political corruption