Minister threatens to withdraw from coalition if concessions are made to Palestinians

The leader of Israel’s Jewish Home Party and Minister of the Economy Naftali Bennett has threatened to withdraw from the government coalition if negotiators agree to grant concessions to the Palestinians in peace talks.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, Bennett said, “Until now, it has not been clear whether concessions will be granted or not, but if we feel a serious threat, we will not only leave the government but will also lead the battle against such concessions.” The negotiations are predicted by the Israeli media to be a “hot topic” in the Knesset’s winter parliamentary session which opened this week.

During a tour to support his party members in local elections, Bennett stressed that his party was not part of the negotiations team. “Without achieving peace, we have done and continued to do everything for the Jewish state,” he added. “Our success is not dependant on the Palestinians, we are not their pawns.”