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Vice Premier backtracks after calling Peace Now, elites 'a virus'
By Barak Ravid, Mazal Mualem and Chaim Levinson
Tags: Peace Now, Moshe Ya'alon 

Vice Premier and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon issued a statement on Thursday night clarifying his criticism earlier in the week of "the elites" and the Peace Now movement.

His latest remarks come after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kirya defense compound in Tel Aviv.

At the end of the discussion, Ya'alon said that he "recognized the importance of democratic discourse and respecting other opinions."
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After the hour-long meeting in which Netanyahu objected to Ya'alon's statements to Likud's Jewish Leadership Movement faction, the two discussed various policy issues. Ya'alon made clear his points of disagreement with the prime minister.

Netanyahu urged Ya'alon to release a statement saying he backed the prime minister and government policy. Netanyahu personally approved the statement and said he considered the matter closed.

Ya'alon told Netanyahu that as a member of the cabinet and vice premier, he is "a full partner to the formulation of policy and bears collective responsibility for it." Ya'alon also said he had not intended to criticize government policy or Netanyahu personally, and that "if things were interpreted differently, I regret it."

Ya'alon's earlier remarks, which were broadcast on Channel 2 on Wednesday night, roused a storm of protest.

Yaron called "the elites" and Peace Now "a virus" and said that when he was in the army, he used to say that "the politicians brought the dove of peace and the army had to clean up after it."

After the private meeting, the two joined discussions of Israel's key forum of six top cabinet ministers, ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell next Wednesday in London.

Ya'alon's associates said the meeting with Netanyahu had been a good one, but that he stood behind his statements to the Jewish Leadership Movement.

Peace Now secretary general Yariv Oppenheimer said on Thursday that Ya'alon's clarifications were "lip service only."

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      1.   WHY DID YOU BACKTRACK?WHY SUPPORT BIBI DOING WHAT TZIPI WANTED? 03:18  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 21/08/09
      2.   "recognized the importance of democratic discourse 03:31  |  Arie 21/08/09
      3.   On which planet does Yaalon reside? 04:01  |  Grape Nuts 21/08/09
      4.   Peace Now is a virus 04:16  |  Great White North 21/08/09
      5.   Naughty Boy 04:46  |  Raphael 21/08/09
      6.   Bibi obviously agrees... 05:07  |  BBSNews 21/08/09
      7.   Death Suicide NOW[ not peace] is a treasonous organization using 05:15  |  Harry Potter 21/08/09
      8.   Yaalon 06:09  |  Jon 21/08/09
      9.   a virus 06:16  |  Shmuelshachor 21/08/09
      10.   #1 07:04  |  mike 21/08/09
      11.   Ya`alon says he `recognized importance of democratic discourse.` 07:19  |  Esther 21/08/09
      12.   Fire his ass 08:03  |  jmundstuk 21/08/09
      13.   ?Peace Now? a humanitarian movement ? 08:30  |  B. Gold 21/08/09
      14.   Yalon was right! 09:02  |  ezer 21/08/09
      15.   this clinches it! netanyahu didn`t object to "what" ya`alon said 09:11  |  eric 21/08/09
      16.   Min Ya`alon why did you backtract.... 09:16  |  Proud to be Right 21/08/09
      17.   Too bad 09:23  |  B 21/08/09
      18.   Hmm, forked tongue 09:32  |  sh 21/08/09
      19.   the bogie man 09:47  |  disgusted 21/08/09
      20.   Ya`alon 100% correct 09:49  |  rich 21/08/09
      21.   Retraction is a Temporary Gimmick 09:57  |  Walid 21/08/09
      22.   Why? Hasn`t the Left called settlements a "cancer"? 09:59  |  Joe Sittizen 21/08/09
      23.   study history more!! 10:00  |  elsie 21/08/09
      24.   to #11 ezer - Of course Ya`alon is right 10:16  |  Robin 21/08/09
      25.   the government needs to speak with one voice 10:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 21/08/09
      26.   On the importance of democratic discourse 10:34  |  The Machsom Watcher 21/08/09
      27.   To Great White North #4 `Peace Now is a virus` 10:46  |  Colin Wright 21/08/09
      28.   LOL, that is like a bank robber...... 11:25  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/08/09
      29.   Are Ya`alon`s comments a blood libel on Peace Now? 11:32  |  Michael 21/08/09
      30.   Dear Machsom Watcher #23... the problem is that... 11:40  |  Esther 21/08/09
      31.   Peace Now 12:07  |  Paul Rose 21/08/09
      32.   Machsom Watcher 12:11  |  Walid 21/08/09
      33.   Robin 12:26  |  rich 21/08/09
      34.   why does Yallon need to retract if what he said isnt true? 12:41  |  samuel 21/08/09
      35.   Peace Now acting like its a member of the couverment? 12:50  |  daniel 21/08/09
      36.   Yaalon is anything but hot-headed 13:09  |  sh 21/08/09
      37.   Yaalon 13:24  |  oz 21/08/09
      38.   Bbsn 13:26  |  oz 21/08/09
      39.   walid 13:38  |  udi 21/08/09
      40.   dino 13:46  |  udi 21/08/09
      41.   Great White North you got it! 14:03  |  Petra 21/08/09
      42.   Colin Wright wake up! 14:09  |  Petra 21/08/09
      43.   Great White North 15:14  |  Walid 21/08/09
      44.   to #24 Yalon is right. 15:19  |  Ezer 21/08/09
      45.   yaalon 15:23  |  shimi 21/08/09
      46.   Yaalon behaviour 15:34  |  Alberto 21/08/09
      47.   It will be a national and international scandal if Yaalon... 15:42  |  Esther 21/08/09
      48.   Peace Now is a garbage,stinky one. 15:44  |  Yes,We Can! 21/08/09
      49.   Yaalon & Feigelman, both these `luminaries"... 15:48  |  Esther 21/08/09
      50.   to Esther #8 15:51  |  elsie 21/08/09
      51.   Interestingly, sh #36... Ya`alon`s "hangdog expression"... 16:02  |  Esther 21/08/09
      52.   Petra - The cure for peace is war..... 16:05  |  CJ 21/08/09
      53.   oz#37... you mean in quaranteen indefinitely... 16:07  |  Esther 21/08/09
      54.   The Machsom Watcher 17:11  |  rich 21/08/09
      55.   reality 17:15  |  oz 21/08/09
      56.   oz #37... Bibi must put the guy in quarantine indefinitely... 18:09  |  Esther 21/08/09
      57.   What in the beliefs of conservatives? 18:13  |  Mark Lincoln 21/08/09
      58.   SORRY #8 21:04  |  elsie. 21/08/09
      59.   Its just SO wrong headed! 21:34  |  RfaelMoshe 21/08/09
      60.   Peace Now once had a point. 03:39  |  Jasper 22/08/09
      61.   Failure to engage. 06:04  |  Bazmann 22/08/09
      62.   Barf it up, Rich 12:15  |  S 22/08/09
      63.   "Will Israel turn into a "Tale of Two Cities" ?! 15:09  |  Akram Zekaria 22/08/09
      64.   bbs drinking fire water 17:53  |  Jeff Ward 22/08/09
      65.   Not every dream mounts to reality ! 19:14  |  Akram Zekaria 22/08/09
      66.   Yasher koach, Peace Now ! 21:11  |  David 22/08/09
      67.   # 60 to "S" 21:24  |  eric 22/08/09
      68.   #56, Mark Lincoln 21:54  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/08/09
      69.   Backtracks after calling Peace Now 22:26  |  Allan Fox 22/08/09
      70.   Peace Now in not a virus....is a cancer 00:16  |  Roberto 23/08/09
      71.   # 60 to "S" 01:40  |  eric 23/08/09
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