Bennett keeps quiet on ministers' planned meeting with Abbas
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is keeping mum on two Meretz members from his cabinet planning to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to play host to two Israeli ministers, both of them members of leftist Meretz. By accepting this invitation, Meretz chair and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Minister for Regional Cooperation Issawi Freij have given Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office reason to feel uneasy.
On Sept. 27, Bennett gave his first speech to the United Nations. He made no mention of the Palestinian-Israel conflict, focusing instead on the fight against the pandemic and Iran.
It a was jarring omission. Just a few days earlier, Abbas commented on Israel’s new government in his prerecorded remarks to the UN General Assembly. His speech contained an ultimatum, giving Israel one year to end the occupation. The demand came off like a desperate attempt to end years of diplomatic deadlock.
“This is a moment of truth,” Abbas warned, adding that the region is at “a crossroads.” He went on to accuse Bennett's coalition government of avoiding reaching an agreement and offering empty economic and security plans.
