By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Apr 19, 2005
As Finance Minister Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu spoke Monday about the dangers of uprooting the Jews of Gaza and northern Samaria, many of his Likud Party colleagues clamored for his return to the prime minister’s chair.
Netanyahu told a gathering of Likud activists in Ness Ziona Monday night that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was about to bring Israel to catastrophe with his “disengagement” plan.
The event was attended by 16 other Likud Knesset members, who openly praised Netanyahu and urged him to challenge Sharon for the party leadership.
According to Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlan, Netanyahu is a “man of vision”, while Sharon is the opposite. Rivlin was until recently one of Sharon’s top political allies.
“We in the Likud still have a vision of the Land of Israel that we believe in, and our party's ideology is still right," Rivlin said. "I hope that by the next Passover, we will have leaders who understand that we cannot continue with no vision.”
The Jerusalem Post quoted MK David Levy as calling on Netanyahu to "stand strong and answer the large camp behind you.”
Arab MK Ayoub Kara went one further, and repeatedly shouted:“Stand up and be our leader.”
Another of Sharon’s former Likud allies, MK Michael Ratzon, compared Netanyahu to Moses.