Netanyahu’s Party Backs Minister Who Bashed Obama Administration

Culture Minister Limor Livnat, a long-time political ally of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has received support and kudos from leading members of the Likud party following a tirade on Thursday in which she called the Obama administration “terrible.” The incident was part of the indignation many members of Netanyahu’s party felt after he announced a 10-month freeze on all building in communities located on land acquired in the 1967 war. Commonly referred to as settlements, the Israeli communities are found in areas upon which the Palestinians intend to build their own state – a position for which the Palestinians have overwhelming international support, including that of the White House. But continued development of Israeli towns in post-1967 areas is one of the basic principles of the right-wing party, and many in the Likud are already comparing Netanyahu’s actions to those of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who traumatized the right with his forcible unilateral withdrawal of Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip, a move critics say has proven futile in the quest for peace. One party official branded President Obama “an enemy of the Jews and the worst regime there ever was for the state of Israel.”  Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas rejected the Israeli freeze during a visit to Venezuela on Friday. ‘Abbas told reporters that Netanyahu “didn’t bring anything new because the occupation is going to continue in the West Bank and in Jerusalem. The Israeli Prime Minister had to choose between peace and occupation. Lamentably, he chose occupation."