Annexation Plan Sparks Threat to Topple Israel Government

Source: Bloomberg

By Jonathan Ferziger Jun 8, 2014 4:10 PM ET

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strongest coalition partner threatened to bring down the government if it tries to annex West Bank settlements following the breakdown of Mideast peace talks.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid, speaking at the annual Herzliya Conference on politics and security, also challenged Netanyahu to reveal a map showing how he would delineate the borders of Israel and a Palestinian state. Lapid’s Yesh Atid party holds the second-greatest number of parliamentary seats after the prime minister’s Likud-Yisrael Beitenu alliance.

“If there is any effort to annex even one settlement unilaterally, Yesh Atid will not just leave the government, it will bring it down,” Lapid said today. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the government’s chief peace negotiator, said she would also withdraw her party’s support if Netanyahu tries to annex any part of the West Bank without Palestinian agreement.

The two coalition partners presented a united front in reaction to a proposal by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett to annex most of the West Bank in phases that would start with the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements near Jerusalem. While Netanyahu has not adopted the plan, Lapid said the prime minister’s push for renewed construction in existing settlements has led to an “unprecedented crisis” in relations with the U.S.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-08/annexation-plan-sparks-threat-to-topple-israel-government.html