Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon, in the forefront of those slamming Netanyahu's 10-month Yesha freeze, said at Saturday night's rally that the freeze declaration is basically "telling 300,000 Jews that they're a problem," referring to Yesha residents.
"President Obama should not interfere with the rights of the Jewish people to live in Jerusalem," said Danon. "This ... is a racist demand, saying that Jews cannot live in Jerusalem, only Arabs."
Danon added that "We hoped that we won the elections and would be able to rest, but there is no choice. The time has come to wake up the national camp within Likud….from now on there is no longer quiet within Likud. We're the majority and we'll avert this bad decisionHamas source: Much work remains on Shalit deal."
Speaking in Ra'anana, at an event under the banner "Real Likudniks don't surrender," Danon told the crowd that on Sunday morning, he would deliver the required number of signatures of central committee members to force a meeting of the committee to its chairman, Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon.
"The prime minister should have told the Americans that on Judea and Samaria, he would not surrender," Danon said. "We are starting a campaign to put the brakes on what Netanyahu is trying to do. We will be attacked for this and it won't be easy, but we, the silent majority of the Likud, will struggle and succeed."
Reminiscent of Arik Sharon's infamous attitude toward his party's overwhelming opposition to his stand on Gush Katif, Netanyahu's associates said that despite the signatures he could still avoid convening the committee. They said that even if there will be a meeting of the committee in a couple of months, it would deal only with procedural matters.
So it would seem that the Prime Minister has decided to ignore his party's platform and criticism except for the fact that it is known that he called Likud ministers and MKs to persuade them not to attend the Saturday night rally.
Sports Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) launched a verbal attack over the matter on U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which she branded "terrible."
Ariel mayor Ron Nahman praised her comment saying that he was proud of her for saying what most citizens of Israel feel since Obama came to power. He pointed out that Obama would never go against his constituency in the US as Netanyahu feels free to do in Israel since the United States has a representative democracy. He went on to warn ministers and MKs who supported the settlement freeze that he and other activists in the room would prevent them from getting re-elected. ."
Livnat's associates said they were surprised by the tremendous positive reactions she received for calling the Obama administration horrible.
Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika compared Netanyahu's shift on the settlement issue to the scams of Bernard Madoff. He said "the settlements in Judea and Samaria are not ice cream and cannot be frozen."
Meanwhile, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) cancelled a appearance at the settlement of Kiryat Arba on Saturday, due to a plan by right-wing activists to stage a protest the settlement freeze.
