Against the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States, the chairman of the National Unity faction, Ze'ev Elkin says that the fact that the US president did not invite Netanyahu to the White House, constitutes an injury to Israel's status.
According to him: "When Biden wants to honor his guests, he brings them to the White House, we have reached a very problematic situation that the first political visit of the Prime Minister of Israel to the US is after more than six months and takes place on the sidelines of the UN Assembly, this situation in front of our strategic partner is extremely disturbing. It also affects our status in front of the whole world, the whole world looks and sees the attitude that the president of the USA treats us and behaves accordingly."
Although MK Elkin does not support the holding of demonstrations by government opponents during the political visit to the United States, he opposes the statements of Netanyahu and the members of the coalition against them: "I think that the demonstrations in front of the Prime Minister of Israel by Israelis should take place in Israel. The Prime Minister's success in his trip is the success of all of us, the interest of all the residents of Israel is that the diplomatic visit ends successfully in security issues such as Iran and other issues. Disputes can and should be managed here. On the other hand, this does not give him the right to blaspheme and compare those demonstrators to our enemy, his statement against them was shocking. The Prime Minister of Israel cannot speak like that against the citizens of Israel."
Elkin: "How can you conduct negotiations like this?"
Regarding the negotiations for a compromise on the legal legislation - Elkin was asked if he thinks there is still a chance for something agreed upon with the opposition. "The question is who we have to work with. We seriously considered the outline offered to us by Netanyahu and his official representatives through the president. But there was a situation that I hardly remember like, within a few hours, even before we could return an answer, the Likud issued an official statement that the party opposes. Immediately after The number two in the party went to be interviewed on every possible radio station and explained that he is strongly opposed to the proposal that Netanyahu made. How can you conduct negotiations like this? With whom and what are we discussing? We can put our political interests aside and also pay a political price, but Netanyahu must get his place in order. How is it possible to work with a proposal that is denied and receives opposition on behalf of the proposer?"
The former minister of heritage Elkin (and currently the chairman of the lobby for the preservation of heritage sites and national heritage assets) also wants to address the decision of UNESCO to recognize Tel Jericho as a Palestinian heritage site: "This is an outrageous decision that has nothing to do with history and historical truth. No less outrageous than this decision is The response of Abu Mazen who said in an interview that from now on they will be kept on the site."
"Near Tel Jericho there are the Hasmonean and Herod palaces that were in danger of being destroyed by the Palestinians. As the Minister of Heritage, we saved everything possible there in Area C, invested budgets, and fenced it so that it would be preserved for future generations. But one palace that is in the territory of the Palestinian Authority was almost completely destroyed because the Authority encouraged construction on the palace and almost completely destroyed the site. Are they the ones who will preserve the heritage sites? This is cynical politics that wants to tattoo our existence here in the Land of Israel."
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