Netanyahu: Israeli Politicians Should Not Pressure Trump

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated, "The new President of the United States should be allowed to determine his foreign policy through calm channels and without pressure." According to Israeli media, Netanyahu made these remarks during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, November 13. Last Wednesday, he congratulated Donald Trump on his victory and had a phone conversation with the elected president the following day. In his Sunday remarks, Netanyahu added that during the phone conversation with Trump, it was agreed that they would meet at the earliest opportunity after the new president takes office to discuss the issues on the agenda of U.S.-Israel relations. Netanyahu said that in the coming months and years, there would be "close cooperation" with the U.S. government. The Israeli Prime Minister stated that ministers, deputy ministers, and Knesset representatives should not pressure the new U.S. government through interviews and statements; "this is irresponsible." Israeli media emphasized that these remarks by Netanyahu reflect his strong opposition, particularly to the extreme right wing in his government. Naftali Bennett, the Minister of Education and leader of the 'Jewish Home' party, which is one of the significant parties in Netanyahu's coalition government, has pressured the Israeli government for immediate expansion of housing and the construction of a new settlement. Bennett made this request with the support of leaders from Jewish settlements. This right-wing minister stated last Wednesday that Trump's victory "is an opportunity for Israel to free itself from the idea of establishing a Palestinian state and to expand housing in Jerusalem and the settlements." However, according to Israeli media, Netanyahu reacted sharply to Bennett's remarks, calling them "childish and unreasonable." Bennett has demanded that the construction of a new settlement in the West Bank, instead of the illegal settlement of 'Amona', be put to a vote by senior ministers of the coalition parties on Sunday, November 13. The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that relocating a settlement to an area that belongs to Palestinians is illegal and that Netanyahu's government should not agree to it. However, Bennett is calling for the establishment of a new settlement in an area that has been the personal inheritance of several Palestinian families. The elected President of the United States expressed "hope" in his first interview with The Wall Street Journal in recent days that he could be a leader who mediates between Israel and the Palestinians. Meanwhile, David Friedman, who Israeli media has identified as one of Trump's advisors on Israel, told the Ynet website that the elected president "will not impose peace on Israel." Mr. Friedman stated in an interview on Sunday, November 13, that the elected president "believes that Israel wants peace." David Friedman and Jason Greenblatt had outlined the "framework" of Trump's policy regarding Israel and the Palestinians in a statement just days before the November 8 elections in the U.S. In this context, Riyad Mansour, the head of the Palestinian political mission at the United Nations, stated that if the Trump administration moves the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, "the Palestinians will make his life miserable." Mr. Mansour reminded that the transfer of foreign embassies in Israel to Jerusalem "contradicts Security Council Resolution 181, which the U.S. itself brought to the Security Council." Resolution 181 was passed 69 years ago, on November 29, 1947, regarding the partition of the disputed land between Jews and Palestinians into two states, Jewish and Palestinian, during the presidency of Harry Truman in the U.S. The U.S. embassy in Israel has always been located in Tel Aviv. Israel and the Palestinians have a complex and severe dispute over Jerusalem. The U.S. and the international community support the two-state solution, stating that a Palestinian state should be established with East Jerusalem as its capital. Despite the fact that his government is a coalition of the ruling Likud party and extreme right parties, Netanyahu has claimed that he accepted the two-state solution long ago.