Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rival in the Likud party, MK Gideon Sa'ar, is saying that the Trump administration's peace plan is not acceptable to Israel in its current format.
Speaking on the "Meet the Press" program on Saturday, Sa'ar said that the plan contained several points that he and much of the Israeli public rejected.
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"I can't accept a Palestinian state or territorial concessions, I can't accept isolated settlements in the heart of [Palestinian] territory, or the fact that most of Judea and Samaria would remain in Palestinian hands," Sa'ar said.
Sa'ar also voiced his objection to Defense Minister Benny Gantz's statements that he would work to ensure that the Trump plan was implemented in its entirety.
"I have news for him: A majority of the public and the coalition opposes that," Sa'ar said.
"I think that this is a historic opportunity to apply sovereignty. I want to make sure that there won't be any Israeli commitments, either about the vision or about practical steps that will create dangerous facts on the ground. An Arab state in the heart of the country would be a danger to Israel," he continued.
Sa'ar also touched on the new government that was sworn in a week ago and the fact that Yamina was left out of the coalition.
"Yamina is the partner whose ideology is closest to the Likud's. It's not good that they're out of the government and in the opposition. I really hope we'll find some way of bringing them into the government."
Sa'ar went on to attack Gantz over the bloated cabinet: "The main problem is that Gantz wanted an equal cabinet … I would have expected a government in the midst of this economic crisis not to be the biggest one in Israel's history, because the public is suffering."
When asked why he had not been given a ministerial portfolio, Sa'ar responded, "When you expect nothing, you can't be surprised. I was placed at the top of the Likud list. I worked hard throughout the campaign so the Likud would succeed, but I won't form a relationship with Netanyahu that's based on sycophancy and self-abnegation. I respect him, but I have a backbone. I was elected to serve a certain path, which is more important than me or anyone else."
Sa'ar said he hoped that Netanyahu would be proven innocent in his graft trial, which begins Sunday afternoon.
"The prime minister deserves due process. Despite the accusations against the prime minister, the public elected him, and the decision by the majority has great importance," he said.
