Tzipi Livni, who hopes to be appointed Israel's prime minister-designate, said Monday Israel must give up considerable territory in exchange for peace with the Palestinians, drawing a clear distinction with her rival, Benjamin Netanyahu.
She told a convention of American Jewish leaders, "we need to give up parts of the Land of Israel," using a term that refers to biblical borders that include today's Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, repeating her well-known view that pulling out of Palestinian areas would be for the good of Israel, to maintain it as a Jewish state.
Livni told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations that Israel must take the initiative and come forward with its own peace plan to head off international programs. "Any plan put on the table will not be in our interest," she said. [emphasis added]If indeed the election results indicate an increase in the right-wing bloc, then why is Livni saying the kinds of things that are only going to antagonize them?
She already has made clear that she rejects Netanyahu's invitation to join his coalition--now she is also establishing herself in the eyes of the West as the leader who would be most amenable for making the 'painful concessions' that will make possible the peace that world leaders thing is possible.
Of course, while the AP article talks about Livni promising 'considerable' concessions, it is unclear just how much that is--or which territory. It could be a reference to amount, or it could be a reference to East Jerusalem. While the current headline of the article reads: Livni: Give up parts of 'Land of Israel', according to the Jihad Watch post, the original headline was: "Livni: Give up half of 'Land of Israel'.
That would explain why the current version of the AP article has a disclaimer at the end: (This version CORRECTS Livni's quote.)
The question is, if Livni were to get her way and be in a position to give away those areas--just how would such a plan be different from those other plans that she alludes to as not being "in our interest"?
I would describe the difference between Livni and Bibi in this way: Bibi will do the same, but screaming and kicking all the way from his plane to the White House. Where he will be mainly listening. It is not the first time he will be doing this, mind you...
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