PM’s complicated take on Palestinian statehood

Did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just resurrect the issue of Palestinian statehood?

This after months of carefully assuaging those on his Right by assuring them that Palestinian statehood was not under consideration now as Israel moves forward with US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Yet those who know English, and who happened to be awake at about 3 a.m. Israel time Monday, would have heard Netanyahu make his most clear link to date between Palestinian statehood and the Trump peace plan.

In a prerecorded English statement to the annual Christians United for Israel conference, Netanyahu said: “The president’s vision finally puts to rest the two-state illusion; it calls for a realistic two-state solution.”

One could almost hear his settler and right-wing opponents jumping up out of their beds and collectively shouting: “Gotcha!”

From the moment the Trump

full force in economic issues. I will make sure that the money that has been promised will get to people and will propose innovative new programs to get the economy moving.”

Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz announced a NIS 2 billion plan to support businesses in crisis, expanding the criteria to receive government grants and the resources devoted to them. Companies with a turnover up to NIS 100 million will now be able to apply, as well as self-employed professionals with a turnover up to NIS 300,000. A grant of NIS 7,500 for each worker brought back from unemployment was also confirmed.

According to the National Insurance Institute, the number of people who have applied for unemployment benefits who have not returned to work was 673,567. Since the beginning of the crisis, 1,074,905 Israelis have requested unemployment benefits, and more than 92% were accepted, the NII said.

Also on Monday evening, the Attorney General’s office instructed local prosecutors to cancel the fines given to restaurants and cafés caught opened during the period between March 25 and April 25, Ynet reported. It was explained that the wording of the relevant directive making it a criminal offence for businesses to be open in that period referred to “stores” and was not to be interpreted to include dining establishments.

Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz emphasized the need to prioritize the fight against COVID-19 and its financial implications.

“Together we will defeat the coronavirus and deal with its economic and medical impact,” he said at a meeting of his Blue and White faction in the Knesset. “What is not connected to coronavirus will wait.”

Gantz said he asked that the Defense Ministry be in charge of executing the measures against the virus because it is best equipped to deal with emergency situations.

“We are in the middle of a continuing phenomenon, and the only body that can deal with it alongside the security