Justice minister accuses coalition partner of harming Israel's interests

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has accused the extremist Jewish Home Party, led by Naftali Bennett, of damaging Israel’s chances of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Haaretz reported on Thursday. Jewish Home is a member of the governing coalition in Israel.

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Livni said that continuous construction in isolated Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, supported by Jewish Home, undermines Israel’s security. Such construction, she added, is based on partisan party politics in the interests of a tiny section of Israeli society. The government, insisted Livni, has to decide between settlement growth and Israel’s security.

The minister, who is in charge of peace negotiations for the Israeli government, accused Bennett’s party of giving itself a veto over the peace process. She said that the extremist Jewish Home is doing this by preferring random settlement outposts over established, but still illegal it must be said, settlement blocs and the democratic state.

Speaking to a One Voice meeting held in Tel Aviv University, Livni concluded by saying that the Israeli government would take decisions regarding the Palestinian issue soon. These decisions, she stressed, should be taken by a leadership that recognises the price to be paid if it does not make the correct and appropriate choices. There is a chance for peace, she claimed, and it should not be lost.