Naftali Bennett: “We Are Surrounded by the Craziest People in the World.”

Naftali Bennett: “We are surrounded by the craziest people in the world.” Interviewed by Tim Sebastian. Video. Conflict Zone. DW, November 4, 2015. Also here. YouTube.

Naftali Bennett’s “most anti-Israel interview ever.” By Ari Soffer. Arutz Sheva 7, November 8, 2015. Also at Israellycool.

Bennett vs. Sebastian. Fighting for Israel in hostile interview. Video. Naftali Bennett, November 8, 2015. YouTube.





Soffer:

Jewish Home leader crosses swords with interviewer in what he later says was “the most anti-Israel interview I ever went through.” Was it?

Israel’s Education Minister and Jewish Home Party leader Naftali Bennett has been through plenty of interviews with international media outlets, many of them overtly hostile.

But none as hostile as one published Sunday with DW’s Conflict Zone host Tim Sebastian, he said.

The 25-minute interview includes a relentless grilling of the Minister, who maintains his composure despite some provocative questions.

Among other points, Bennett insisted that the conflict will continue indefinitely until “the Muslim world accepts Israel’s right to exist – we were here way before Islam ever started.”

He also repeated his strong opposition to the formation of a 23rd Arab “Palestinian” state in Judea and Samaria.

“I vehemently oppose the notion of forming another failed Arab state in the heart of Israel. That’s crazy,” he said. “All the rest are disintegrating and falling apart into tribal structures, so here we’re going to try another artificial one? Why? Do I want to commit suicide?

“We tried this. In 2005 we did this big experiment in Gaza. We did all three things the international community wanted: we pulled back to the ’67 lines, we pulled out all our soldiers, and we expelled out 8,000 Jews from their houses – and what did we get in return...?

“What do you do when every single centimeter you give, the radical Islamists turn into a base for radical Islam and for Iran?”

As for his interviewer’s questions regarding the “occupation” of Judea and Samaria, he retorted: “Jews have been living in Jerusalem way before British people were living in London.”