Netanyahu censured by Israelis for policies leading to attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under fire from inside the regime over his policies, which ultimately make him “responsible for terror attacks.”

Amir Peretz, former minister of military affairs currently serving as a member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) pointed the finger at the primer Saturday.

“After 10 years in which Netanyahu has served as prime minister, we can point to him as the central figure responsible for terror attacks taking place in the center of Tel Aviv,” Peretz said.

Israeli police announced Wednesday that four Israelis had been shot dead in an incident that took place at the Sarona food and retail market near the Israeli military’s main headquarters.

According to initial reports, the attackers were dressed as ultra-Orthodox Jews, but the police later claimed that they were of Palestinian origin.

Peretz, who is a member of the Zionist Union, said the attack is an outcome of the Israeli premier’s lack of “courage” in diplomatic affairs.

“Bibi’s response to the attack in Sarona was that of a bureaucrat and not of a leader with vision,” he said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “His government acts the same way over and over again and expects different results, instead of displaying courage and breaking the diplomatic deadlock.”

The MK (pictured  below) also attacked Netanyahu for being “extremist” who puts “political survival” on top of his agenda, a point highlighted by shaking hands with Avigdor Liberman after negotiating with another party leader.

Netanyahu “is not pretending to be a far-right extremist, he really is one, and he has no intention of changing and reaching a compromise on the core issues of the conflict,” he said. “The fact that he negotiated with [Zionist Union leader Isaac] Herzog one day and signed a deal with [Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor] Liberman on another proves that the only thing leading him is political survival.”

The prime minister’s party, Likud, was quick to respond to Peretz’s allegations, made during an event in Tel Aviv suburb Givatayim.

According to Likud, Peretz’s accusations have “gone off the rails, lost all touch with reality and adopted the talking point of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement).”

Likud pointed the finger at Palestinians calling them “terrorists.”

“It is not Israeli settlement that is responsible for terrorism, it is not the occupation that is responsible for terrorism, and it is not Israel’s defense policy that is responsible for terrorism. Terrorists are responsible for terrorism.”

It further claimed that Israel has been fighting terrorism “since the day of its establishment,” blaming Palestinians for having “a desire to destroy Israel,” which he said would be dealt “responsibly and with level-headedness.”

'Nothing to look towards'

Three Palestinians have been arrested over killing four and injuring six by opening fire in Sarona open-air mall, according to Israel.

"His reaction to the shooting attack in Sarona was akin to a response of a common clerk, and not one of a visionary leader," Peretz said. "We have nothing to look towards in a government led by Netanyahu," under which, "a gaping ideological chasm exists both in the political realm and in the socioeconomic realm."

Tel Aviv has been accused of systematically cracking down on the Palestinian population through administrative detention of Muslim youths and illegal land grabs among other measures.

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