Livni: Israel must decide between annexation and partition

Zionist Union number two MK Tzipi Livni says plans are underway to establish a “democratic bloc” in the Knesset that will seek a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference on Thursday, she responds to comments minutes earlier by former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, who criticized the Netanyahu government as “unethical” and said he would run in the next election in a bid to replace Netanyahu.

“I’m glad that Ya’alon is going to war over values, but the real question is what we’re going to do with the territories,” she says, referring to the West Bank.

Ya’alon is considered a liberal on many domestic issues, including gay rights and rule of law, but opposes an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank in the near term on security grounds.

“Israel must make a decision right now that it has avoided making for 50 years,” she says. “Without a decision on annexation or partition, we’re bumbling about without a direction, without choosing our future, while the conflict seeps in and undermines Israel’s values.”