‘Good riddance’
Left-wing politicians welcome Netanyahu’s resignation; right-wingers hope for pullout delay; ‘Netanyahu chose personal interest over national interest,’ Minister Ben Eliezer says; MK Edelstein: All Likud ministers should quit
“Good riddance,” Labor Party General-Secretary Eitan Cabel said in response to Bibi’s move. National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Netanyahu again shows his weakness at a historical junction, “choosing personal interest over the national interest.”
Meretz-Yachad Knesset Member Ran Cohen also welcomed the announcement: “Netanyahu’s resignation is blessed and would give a political and economic future to the State of Israel,” he said. “Let’s hope Netanyahu ended his political career.”
Knesset Member Yossi Sarid also drew a link between Netanyahu’s departure and the economy.
“This is a day of thanksgiving and blessing for the unemployed, poor, disabled, single-parent families and development town residents in Israel,” he said. “They are the true victims of Netanyahu’s policies.”
The Peace Now organization also praised the move, saying Netanyahu’s resignation proved he is an irresponsible, dangerous extremist who could drag the country into another war.
“Netanyahu has revealed his true face as a leader of the extreme right, who views the settlements in Gaza as an asset," the movement said.
Meanwhile, Knesset Member Eliezer Sandberg (Shinui) called on Netanyahu to reconsider quitting his post.
Sandberg said, "The state of Israel and the economy of Israel need you. We are talking about an excellent minister and we cannot let him, in these sensitive times, quit.”
'All Likud ministers should quit'
Right-wing politicians also welcomed Netanyahu’s resignation, but for entirely different reasons.
Knesset Member Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said that all other ruling-party ministers should follow suit. Edelstein said: "Only this way, at the very last moment, can we stop disengagement and save the nation.
National Religious Party Chairman Shaul Yahalom welcomed the announcement as well, and said he hoped the move “would open the prime minister’s eyes.”
“I call on Sharon to retract his plan and realize it costs us dearly,” he said.
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party, said Netanyahu took a “brave step” by resigning, and called on other Likud members to follow suit..
“A move like this could cause the prime minister to rethink the Gaza pullout,” he said.
But right-wing Knesset member Arieh Eldad criticized Netanyahu, saying it was too little, too late.
“If he’d quit six months ago, he could have prevented the (disengagement) disaster. Now, he can’t even save himself.”
-- Attila Somfalvi, Ilan Marciano, Efrat Weiss, and Moran Zelikovich contributed to this story
