Mistake. President Peres
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Livni, 'PM with vision needed'
Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv
Livni to PM: Don't leave Israel in Yishai's hands
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni slams prime minister Netanyahu's policies following crisis in Israel-US ties. Livni says there is need for a 'prime minister with a path, vision, who does not leave national security in Eli Yishai's hands'
The serious crisis with the United States has led opposition leader Tzipi Livni to speak out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies on Sunday: "You cannot leave national security in the hands of coalition partners, with all due respect."
President Shimon Peres also commented on the affair, saying, "The announcement of the construction of 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo during (US Vice President) Biden's visit, was a mistake."
Speaking at an IDF Disabled Veterans Association conference in Tel Aviv, the opposition leader said, "The coalition agreement is no substitute for a vision and a path. We have here a prime minister who does not know what he wants and this weakness is leading to a political landslide.
East Jerusalem
News agencies
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"Not just this week. Israel is paying for its government's failure to make decisions and will continue to pay for it. I will not allow anyone, and anyone who wants to come out on top must not make an enemy of the United States. An international relationship means reliability first and foremost."
Livni added that she has also handled difficult disputes, "You don't have to agree on everything, but the other side must know that yes means yes and no means no, and that there is a prime minister who says the same thing when he speaks in Hebrew and in English. If this was the case, this whole affair would have been avoided."
She also commented on Netanyahu's remarks in Sunday's cabinet meeting, in which he said, "I suggest that we avoid getting carried away and calm down." She said, "If the prime minister proposes everybody calm down and says everything is okay, it's time for him to hear the truth. It's not predetermined that the entire world is against us. Reality can be changed. This calls for a prime minister with vision and a path who does not leave national security in Eli Yishai's hands."
In an attempt to calm the situation, President Peres said in an interview to a Swiss television station, "The declaration of the construction of 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo during Biden's visit was a mistake. The prime minister apologized publicly for this.
"Israel desires peace, and we are determined to promote a serious peace process with the Palestinians at the end of which a Palestinian state will be established alongside Israel on the two-state solution."
Roni Sofer contributed to this report
