Sa'ar at Likud function: PM safeguarding Israel's interests
'Unlike us, Netanyahu sees the big picture,' education minister tells fellow party members amid reports of possible settlement freeze, 'He believes in what we believe in.' Kadima's Hanegbi: We must stand united in face of Iranian threat
"In this complex reality, our prime minister is safeguarding the interests of Israel and Jerusalem while avoiding international isolation," Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar told a Likud party convention in Tel Aviv Thursday.
Sa'ars comments came in response to criticism leveled at Benjamin Netanyahu from within the party's rightist camp over reports Israel may agree to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank as part of US President Barack Obama's efforts to advance the Mideast peace process.
"I am hearing a lot of talk, and I ask of the faction members: Support the prime minister. He believes in what we believe in, with only one difference – he sees the entire picture with regards to security and diplomacy," said Sa'ar.
As for the reports of a settlement freeze, the minister told the Likud members, "Don’t believe everything you read in the papers."
'Coming year will be historic'
Last week Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely held a conference in the Knesset for the heads of Judea and Samaria settlers, in order to create a united front against a possible settlement freeze.
MK Ronit Tirosh of Kadima, which leads the Opposition, also spoke in favor of the PM's policies and said her party "must embolden him ahead of the agreements that will be reached with Obama.
"The attempt to achieve peace supersedes all political considerations," she said during a Kadima convention in Jerusalem Thursday.
During the convention, MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, called for unity in the Knesset amid the looming Iranian nuclear threat.
"The coming year will be historic for Israel. This will be the year in which it will be determined whether Iran can achieve nuclear military capability. This is a test for Israel as a unified country – it won't be about the coalition or opposition," he said.
"I sense that the Americans are beginning to realize that their policy of reaching out to Iran has failed. I heard (Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton say the US plans to impose 'crippling' sanctions against Iran, but in my estimation is the US that will become crippled. I don’t see the international community supporting the US," he added.
As for the possibility of a military strike on Iran, Hanegbi said Israel would "not take charge of its own destiny unless the world's powers give up."
Kadima MK Otniel Schneller recently called on his party to consider backing Netanyahu in case he reaches an agreement with the US on a settlement freeze that did not include east Jerusalem.
