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| Is Netanyahu a Prime Minister or a Dictator? |
By Attila Somfalvi
MK Yohanan Plesner, who headed the defunct committee tasked with drafting a universal draft bill, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu always preferred the haredim over the national interest.
After the Kadima party voted in favor of withdrawing from the coalition, citing unbridgeable differences with the prime minister, Plesner told Ynet on Wednesday that "Netanyahu's true colors has been exposed."
"We revealed his true preferences. (Netanyahu) always favored the haredim even at the price of mortgaging our national interest and joint future," he said.
Plesner added that "when his back was pushed against the wall, Netanyahu chose the haredim and not the State of Israel."
The Kadima member of Knesset noted that there was a genuine opportunity to establish a national unity government that would address important issues in the Israeli society. "(Netanyahu) didn’t say he wasn’t serious. He gave us all signs that he was serious. I didn't fall at his feet, but I believed that the opportunity must be seized."
Plesner slammed Netanyahu for "spinning" the universal draft issue: "Netanyahu is a skilled communicator; he knows how to spin things around and throws sand in the eyes of the public. He creates an atmosphere of confusion and uncertainty in order to instill disorder. We need to put everything back in order so that we can understand why he always surrenders to Shas."
Asked what Kadima should do now that it is back in the opposition, Plesner noted that his party must provide an alternative to the government. "After realizing that Bibi surrenders to the haredi parties, and that he will not bring about a new civil order, or a political process, our responsibility is to join forces with the political center in order to provide an alternative.
"Israel cannot afford to see Netanyahu lead another term in office. One was enough. Another one can be disastrous for Israel's economy," he said.
