Email from Zionist Organization of America   ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA     Netanyahu Bypassed Unflinching Opposition to Truce Inside Likud "We are lying to ourselves when we say that this agreement will prevent the restoration of Hezbollah," MK Dan Illouz tells JNS. By Amichai Stein (November 27, 2024 / JNS) “It’s a ceasefire deal, not a peace treaty or an agreement in which Israel needs to give up territory,” the Prime Minister’s Office explained when asked why the ceasefire deal with Lebanon would be brought to the narrow Security Cabinet for approval. But when speaking with Likud lawmakers and ministers, you understand: If Prime Minister Netanyahu had to bring it to the Knesset or the full Cabinet, he would have a problem. “It might bring calm to Israel for a few years. But they [Hezbollah] will use this time in order to rebuild themselves,” Knesset member Dan Illouz, who opposes the deal, told JNS. “All of the IDF and Israeli tactical gains in the war need to be translated into serious strategic gains. And I feel that this current deal doesn’t do this right now. To be frank, the fact that we have a letter from the U.S. allowing us a freehand in enforcing the deal doesn’t really impress me, because I remember what happened in the past,” Illouz said. MK Moshe Saada agrees. “There has been an incredible achievement by Israel vis-à-vis the State of Lebanon. We are giving up the entire thing for an imaginary peace. It is clear that it will be immediately violated—as soon as we leave the villages, Hezbollah will move in,” Saada told JNS. On Tuesday, Netanyahu spoke with several ministers and MKs from the coalition to try and convince them to support the deal, in a reflection of how much anger there is inside the Likud Party regarding the proposed deal. “The agreement is a bad agreement, because it legitimizes Hezbollah’s status in Lebanon,” Likud MK Amit Halevi told JNS. “The deal needs to be with the country of Lebanon. Iran still controls Lebanon. We need a deal like the Abraham Accords, and to get there, we need to get rid of Hezbollah.” U.S. Pressure The Likud MKs this writer spoke with agree with the prime minister that the pressure from the U.S. was enormous. “Both in terms of the arms embargo, and also in terms of [a possible anti-Israel vote in] the Security Council,” said Saada. “The pressures was and is great. But I think that Netanyahu, who has resisted pressure in the past, can do it again. Moreover, in January there will be a different president in the U.S.” Illouz added, “I understand that the prime minister is under a lot of pressure from all over the world. My job as an MK is to look at the situation and push for the right path for Israel. That doesn’t mean that I don’t respect the prime minister’s position.”  Halevi went a step further and said there has been a colossal failure: “I believe Netanyahu had to choose between two bad options—and he chose the less bad one. But in the end, Iran has succeeded in controlling Lebanon, and now it stays there. And the people of Lebanon, who wanted to be free, are still under Iranian control.” CONTINUE READING   Share This Email Share This Email   DONATE     Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2024, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave 31 B | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice