Extreme right-winger says Israelis can't have peace with Palestinians

The leader of the extreme right-wing Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, has claimed that Israelis “cannot have peace with the Palestinians”, who he called “the enemy”. Bennett was speaking as he attacked what he called “the Left’s obsession” with “relinquishing” land to the Palestinians.

Criticising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his ties with the Israeli Left, Bennett said, “The last time a national government was elected, a moment after the elections Netanyahu welcomed Barak in.” He expects the prime minister’s plan to include the formation of a “left-wing government” including Tzipi Livni, Amram Mitzna and Amir Peretz in its ranks.

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“Such a government will again start a futile diplomatic move instead of dealing with the real issues,” argued Bennett. “How long can we talk about this?” Coexistence, he said, can only be achieved by Israel’s [illegal] settlers “who drive alongside [the Arabs] on Route 60, stand next to them in supermarket checkouts and work with them. We haven’t a shred of hatred for Arabs. The time has arrived for a ‘supermarket peace’.”