Yitzhak Levy: West Bank is an integral part of Israel

Israel's Transportation Minister Yitzhak Levy of the National Religious Party has threatened his party's withdrawal from the governmental coalition chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if an accord is reached with the Palestinians that might affect Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Interviewed by Israeli Army Radio, Levy said that his party views the settlements as sacred shrines and sees the West Bank as an integral part of what he claimed as "the land of Israel."