Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting yesterday that Israel is under seige from the international communtiy and a unity government is needed to defend the country from efforts to delegitimize it.

Jerusalem Post:

“Against the efforts to harm Israel with threats, false accusations and boycotts, we must stand – right and left – as one, to deflect the pressures, uncover the lies, and attack the attackers,” he said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting.

“We will harness forces in this country and around the world, will smash the lies of our enemies, and struggle for the right of Israel to live in peace and security – to live at all," he said.

Minister without Portfolio Ophir Akunis was more explicit in the call for a national unity government in light of the BDS campaign, telling reporters before the meeting that the “widest government as possible” was needed to “struggle together” against the threat. Netanyahu said Israel is in the midst of establishing both an offensive and defensive campaign against efforts to boycott Israel and to harm the ability of the IDF to defend the country.

“From the standpoint of those perpetrating the boycott, the settlements in Judea and Samaria are not the focus of the conflict, but rather our settlements in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Beersheba, Haifa and, of course, Jerusalem,” he said.

As French efforts are underway to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council enshrining the parameters of a two-state solution with a deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state and an IDF withdrawal, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for avoiding negotiations.

“At a time when we are calling for a renewal of negotiations, the Palestinians are promoting steps against us at the UN and at the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” he said. “They are running away from negotiations, and at the same time promoting international sanctions and resolutions at the UN because there are no negotiations.”

Netanyahu said that the Palestinians “ran away” from talking to former prime ministers Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Ehud Olmert, “they run away from everyone, and then they blame others.”

The Palestinian stragegy is to get the UN to impose a two state solution on Israel by setting a deadline for a withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel will counter by claiming that only negotiations can lead to a solution and that the UN should force the Palestinians to the table. The Palestinians have no desire - or need - to negotiate as long as the international community looks to impose its will on Israel.

A unity government is a good idea in theory, but in practice, it would be very difficult to arrange. Meanwhile, Netanyahu berated the international community for its silence on the rocket attack from Gaza last week:

“I didn't hear any international actor condemn this rocket fire, and even in the UN no one is opening their mouth,” he said. “It is interesting whether this quiet will continue when we act in full force to defend ourselves. Let it be clear, the hypocrisy spreading in the world will not tie our hands when it comes to defending Israeli citizens. This is how we acted in the past, and how we will continue to act.”

Netanyahu repeated what he has said in recent days following other incidents of rocket fire from Gaza: that Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from the area into Israel.

That silence will end when Israel responds to the threat by attacking Hamas. At that point, the BDS crowd will become hysterical and demand that the world shun the Jewish state. It's all part of the game that Israel no longer wishes to play as they seek to defend themselves from the ever more viscious attacks of their enemies.