National Union chairman MK Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz stated on Thursday that his party's promise to serve as a safety net for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would be valid as long as no new construction moratorium in Judea and Samaria is announced. Katz's office said in a statement that should Netanyahu change his mind and announce a decision to implement a new construction freeze, Katz and his coalition partners will work shoulder to shoulder to overthrow Netanyahu and replace him with a suitable leader from within the Likud party. Netanyahu met on Thursday in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an attempt to overcome the differences between the U.S. and Israel on the question of a new construction freeze, following demands by the U.S. to continue the freeze in Judea, Samaria, and even in certain parts of Jerusalem. Last month, Netanyahu had offered to renew the building freeze if Abbas recognizes Israel as a Jewish State. “If the Palestinian leadership will unequivocally say to its people that it recognizes Israel as the national state of the Jewish people, I will be ready to convene my Cabinet and ask for another moratorium on building,” Netanyahu said. “Just as the Palestinians expect us to recognize their state, we expect reciprocal treatment.”
