Israel News for 2-12-2020

News Update

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held a joint press conference in New York on Tuesday, where they denounced the Trump Middle East peace plan. When he was Prime Minister, Olmert had negotiated with Abbas and had offered the Palestinians just about everything they ever wanted — but the offer was rejected.

Yesterday, Olmert called Abbas “a man of peace, he is opposed to terror and therefore he is the only partner that we can build [peace] with.” He added, “It is important to listen not only to the negative side of the Palestinian president but also to the positive side.”

Abbas said that he would love to pick up negotiations where he left off with Olmert. PM Netanyahu labeled the press conference as “a low point in Israel’s history.”

Earlier in the day Abbas made his case against peace in an address before the UN Security Council, while thousands of Palestinians staged demonstrations in the West Bank against the peace plan.

Blue & White leader Benny Gantz said yesterday that he would not include the Arab Joint List in any government he forms. Gantz said, “I’ve made it clear in the past and I repeat: I am not afraid to speak to any legitimate political party, but the Joint List will not be part of the government I will establish. My disagreements with the party’s leadership on national and security issues are unbridgeable.”

PM Netanyahu responded that without the support of the Joint List, Gantz would be unable to form a government. The Joint List is projected to win between 13 and 15 Knesset seats.

Both Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennet pledged that their party Yamina would not join a Gantz led government.