By David Rosenberg, Arutz 7—
Israel is pursuing peace deals with additional Arab states, following the agreement with the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
In a press conference Sunday evening, Netanyahu said Israel is working to reach deals normalizing the country’s relationship with additional Arab states, and predicted more agreements would be reached in the near future.”
“We are in historic times. Our peace treaty with the United Arab Emirates is the beginning of a new of peace in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said at the opening of the press conference.
“We are working on other states – peace with other states. In my estimate there will be other states, and in the near future.”
Turning to the ongoing coalition crisis and the battle over the state budget, Netanyahu said that he has agreed to the compromise deal of Derech Eretz MK Zvi Hauser, pushing off the budget deadline and preventing snap elections.
“I have decided this evening to accept the compromise deal proposed by MK Hauser. This proposal would enable funds to be sent immediately to citizens and the Israeli economy. It will prevent the need for new elections.”
“This is the time for unity, not elections.”
The prime minister criticized his coalition ally, the Blue and White party, accusing it of operating like a “government within the government”.
“I turn on the radio and hear wild attacks on the prime minister – against me. I ask ‘Who is that, someone, from the Opposition?’ No, it’s from within the government. I say ‘enough’. Either we’re working together or we’re not.”
Netanyahu’s comments come as the Knesset’s Finance Committee was set to vote on a bill to push off the deadline for passing a spending plan.
Without passage of the bill, the government will be required to pass a spending plan by Monday night – or be forced to dissolve the Knesset and declare snap elections for the fourth time in two years. Continue Reading….
