Liberman: We must legislate to save Ulpana neighborhood from court-ordered demolition

The way the government handles the issues of universal conscription and the contested neighborhood of Givat Ulpana will be the real tests of the new coalition, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said in a press conference Wednesday morning.

A day after the dramatic announcement of the deal that brought Kadima into the coalition, Liberman seemed willing to give the new union a chance, but warned against using the broad bloc to delay making tough decisions.

Liberman revealed that he had been kept updated about the secret deal, which shocked Israel’s political establishment, media and public on Tuesday minutes before the Knesset was to have voted to hold early elections.

Liberman said he would be willing to back any serious and comprehensive bill put forward by Mofaz to replace the Tal Law and require ultra-Orthodox men to perform national service, but said that so far the government hadn’t presented him with anything official and that the drafts he had seen so far were “unacceptable.”

“I expect the author of the bill, who as far as I know is coalition chairman Ze’ev Elkin, to consult with all the coalition partners,” Liberman said.

Liberman also spoke about the government’s response to the Supreme Court decision to evict settlers from Givat Ulpana, in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, saying the government would have to create legislation to bypass the court’s ruling and enable the residents to stay. The court order requires the demolition of five buildings in the neighborhood, built on private Palestinian land, by July 1.

“The residents of the Givat Ulpana neighborhood are law-abiding citizens. Givat Ulpana is not an illegal outpost. It’s not their fault the government made a mistake and sent them to live there. Therefore the government has to find a solution,” said Liberman.

Liberman also took the opportunity to swipe at political newcomer Yair Lapid, saying he was surprised to see that Lapid’s party platform referred to plans in 2020.

“Lapid has more of a chance to be elected president of the United States than to still be around in 2020,” said Liberman. “His party is clearly a single-campaign body.”

Addressing the Palestinian issue, Liberman said that the ball was in the Palestinian court and that Israel has done all it can to return to the negotiating table.