'Israel has every right to build in Jerusalem'

'Israel has every right to build in Jerusalem'

At opening of Knesset winter session, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends Jerusalem construction, vows to maintain Israel's security in any future peace deal • Netanyahu: When it comes to defending Israel, there is no alternative to IDF soldiers.

Gideon Allon and Israel Hayom Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: When it comes to defending Israel, there is no alternative to IDF soldiers  |  Photo credit: Dudi Vaaknin

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"The French build in Paris, the English build in London and the Israelis build in Jerusalem," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday in a speech at the opening meeting of the Knesset winter session. "To come and tell Jews not to build in Jerusalem -- why? Because it will heat up the atmosphere? To certain elements in the region, our very existence is what heats up the atmosphere."

Credit: Knesset Channel
In his speech, which was interrupted numerous times by left-wing and Arab MKs, Netanyahu said, "There is broad agreement among the public that Israel has every right to build in the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem and the settlement blocs. Every Israeli government over the past 50 years has done so. It is also clear to the Palestinians that these places will remain in Israel in any future agreement."

Netanyahu reiterated his view that peace can only be achieved through negotiations. "Israel will not agree to a Palestinian state without a true peace agreement, that recognizes it as the nation state of the Jewish people, and includes concrete and long-term security arrangements on the ground, which will enable it to defend itself, by itself, against any threat."

"Some people tell me, 'Give up territory in advance, draw a map, and later set the security arrangements and other arrangements -- things will be OK.' And I ask them: OK? OK like it was after we left Gaza? OK like it was after we left Lebanon? I am not a prime minister who is satisfied with the statement, 'Things will be OK.' I ask a simple question. What is the point of drawing a border if we don't know what country we will get on the other side of the border? Will we get another Gaza? Another Iran? Or maybe we will get a number of unstable mini-states, like what is happening now in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, almost everywhere. Maybe some sort of Islamic State republic?

"As prime minister, these questions keep me busy nonstop. I am not prepared to accept general statements about security matters. What will decide are not nice words on paper, but soldiers on the ground. Who will prevent the digging of tunnels from Tulkarem? Only IDF soldiers. When it comes to defending Israel, there is no alternative to IDF soldiers.

"Change is occurring, slowly but surely. An important change is that key countries in the Western world are seeing eye-to-eye with Israel that many of the challenges we face stem from radical Islam. It has always been said that an agreement with the Palestinians would allow us to bolster our relations with the Arab world, and there is truth to this, but the fact is also that bolstered relations with the Arab world would benefit our relations with the Palestinians."

Regarding Iran, Netanyahu said, "There is no greater danger than Iran's attempt to become a nuclear threshold state. I hope the international community will not make a historic mistake and will not lift sanctions on Iran in a manner that would enable it to get its hands on a nuclear bomb within a short time."

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) also addressed Monday's Knesset meeting and he criticized the government's conduct.

"There is someone seeking to turn Israel into a state whose citizens beg for bread, and the man who is doing this is none other than the prime minister, who is granting the citizens of Israel a badge of poverty in the form of the state budget," Herzog said.

Addressing Netanyahu directly, Herzog said, "You're afraid and you are disconnected. And when the head is disconnected, the government falls apart."

Herzog also accused Netanyahu of being "personally responsible for the destruction of relations with the U.S.," claiming Netanyahu "hurt and insulted President [Barack] Obama and his administration repeatedly."

"Even your finance minister says this as a commentator from the side," Herzog said, referring to Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.

In an address at the start of Monday's meeting, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said, "If we want to live in this region, we must reiterate that, even without a definitive resolution to the conflict [with the Palestinians], there is much room for cooperation with our neighbors today."

Despite internal fissures, the governing coalition was able to easily defeat three no-confidence motions filed by opposition parties on Monday.