Economy and trade minister Naftali Bennett has said Israel should discard the two-state solution and instead seek to “live with the Palestinian problem”.
In comments that directly contradict the policy of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mr Bennett told a conference of the Yesha settlers' council that Israel should "build, build, build" in the West Bank , and annex as quickly as possible areas of the disputed territory not under Palestinian control.
“The notion of having a two-state solution established in the land of Israel is now at a dead end,” said the leader of the right-wing Jewish Home, the third largest party in the government coalition.
“Never in Jewish history have so many people talked so much and expended so much energy in something so futile,” he said, stressing that Israel could not be termed an occupier because the West Bank was the Biblical Jewish homeland.
He compared the conflict to a medical dilemma. “I have a friend who’s got shrapnel in his rear end, and he’s been told that it can be removed surgically but it would leave him disabled. So he decided to live with it. There are situations where insisting on perfection can lead to more trouble than it’s worth.”
Embarrassment
The comments followed similar statements in recent weeks by senior Israeli officials against a two-state solution, and will cause additional embarrassment for Mr Netanyahu as US secretary of state John Kerry continues with his diplomatic push to revive the stalled peace talks.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of not being serious about peace, saying “Israel has officially declared the death of the two-state solution”.
Mr Bennett’s comments were a reaffirmation of the radical policy of the Israeli government, he said, and he described Mr Kerry’s efforts as an obstacle to Israel’s plans to consolidate its occupation and negate Palestinian rights.
Justice minister Tzipi Livni, who will head the Israeli negotiating team if peace talks resume, rejected the comments. "The only way to preserve Israel is through the political process. We are following the course of the prime minister, even if this comes as a surprise to some."
