Israeli Official Incitement: April 2024

I. Against the Palestinian people/Endorsing genocide and the forced transfer of Palestinians from Gaza

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Religious Zionism Party (Haaretz, 30 April)[1]

“There is no half-completed work. Rafah, Deir al-Balah, and Nuseirat - they must be completely destroyed. All lineage of Amalek[2] must be erased from earth.”

Orit Malka Strock, Minister of Settlement and National Missions, MK for Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 30 April)

“I suggest to Minister Eisenkot[3] to revise the goals of the war, which he signed too. It says: to create conditions for the return of hostages. When we stop and do not enter Rafah, we are not creating an environment for the return of the hostages. And we do not dismantle Hamas. And we do not address every long-term threat from Gaza to the citizens of Israel. In the name of these goals, we sent our soldiers to Gaza. We must meet these goals.”

Avi Maoz, MK for "Noam" Party (Twitter, 25 April)

“(...) Only a great blow to Rafah and the Philadelphia axis and a commitment to a "humanitarian for humanitarian" equation will promote the return of the hostages.”

Gideon Sa'ar, Minister in the war cabinet, MK for New Hope Party (Twitter, 25 April)

“Forced to repeat for the hundredth time: there is no hope of a process to release the hostages without using full military force against Hamas. Not by intimidation, not by threats, but by action. After the pre-Ramadan break, during Ramadan break, and after the post-Ramadan break in the war - the time has come to renew it now. The goals of the war were not achieved by begging or planting illusions.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of national security, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) Party (Twitter, 25 April)

“Unfortunately, once again the PM is leading a wrong policy that affects deterrence. The decision of the cabinet to force upon me foreign observers visiting the prisons and examine the situation of the terrorists[4] is a serious mistake. Our hostages in Gaza are being abused, without visiting or paying attention to their rights. These visits affect the deterrence and negotiations in front of Hamas, and raise the morale of the terrorists, which could lead to a riot inside the prison, but also affect Israeli sovereignty, and is a gateway for International intervention in additional issues in the future. No country that respects its sovereignty and security will allow this to happen.”

Limor Sonn Har Melech, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) Party (Twitter, 24 April)

“Today I participated in the activity of the Ein Ganim Kadim nucleus[5], which demands a return to settlement in northern Samaria. 18 years ago, when I was expelled from my home in Homesh[6], I warned, along with my partners in the struggle that withdrawal would bring with it terrorism and we would be very sorry for the expulsion of the Jews from the settlements. There were many who underestimated us, but when Jenin and Tulkarm became capitals of terrorism, their voices fell silent (…) Therefore, apart from the moral and honest statement of returning the settlement in northern Samaria to our ancestors, there is also the obvious security value. As proven in 7.10, withdrawals encourage terrorism. The establishment of the new settlements will be an answer to all those who think that they will make us retreat from here through terrorism.”

Michal Miriam Woldiger, MK for Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 18 April)

“There are no innocent citizens there, there are mostly citizens who cover up the crime. We are not supposed to give them any help, except as a condition for the recovery of our hostages. All of them!”

Limor Sonn Har Melech, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party (Twitter, 18 April)[7]

“There is only one interpretation for what the professor said. Incitement to terrorism! I congratulate her arrest and I hope that soon an indictment will be held against her. I expect the Hebrew University to announce her suspension even today.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party (Israel National News, 17 April)

"In Gaza - pictures of thousands bathing at the beach. In the north - Hezbollah saw that the Misconception Cabinet did not respond to an attack of hundreds of missiles from Iran to Israel, so they raised their heads and increased their aggression against us, which cost us in wounded soldiers today. The time has come to dismantle that Cabinet, to stop the policy of containment and proportionality, and to show our enemies that we have had enough. As long as the current policy of that Cabinet continues, unfortunately, the absolute victory is getting further away."

Moshe Saada, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 14 April)[8]

“What more will we need to hear from Hamas to understand that they are not interested in an agreement, but in wasting time, and the only thing that can return the hostages is the continuation of military pressure - and with a much higher intensity and in additional places where the IDF[9] has not yet operated. The time has come to defeat Sinwar in the only language he understands, and this is regardless to the required response to the Ayatollah rule.”

Avigdor Lieberman, MK for Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Our Home) Party (Twitter, 9 April)

“I want to ask a question to the lecturer at Tel Aviv University[10], who praised the hateful terrorist Walid Daqqah[11] and called him ‘A noble soul, and an endless source of inspiration’ – is your source of inspiration the kidnapping and murder of a Jewish soldier? Walid Daqqah was a despicable terrorist who stood at the head of a cell that kidnapped and killed soldier Moshe Tamam. It is not possible for supporters of terrorism to lecture in front of Israeli students in the state of Israel. I appeal to Tel Aviv University for her immediate dismissal.”

Im Tirtzu, A right-wing settlers’ movement (Twitter, 8 April)

“Rafah now! Without Rafah there is no complete victory!”

Amichai Chikli, Minister of the Diaspora Affairs, Member of Likud Party (Channel 7, 8 April)[12]

“Everyone who thinks that the Rafah chapter will not be completed - is mistaken. I do not think we are talking about many more weeks. We will not concede this goal. Also in the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas has not been completely uprooted. In the underground, Hamas has thousands more fighters, but they do not act as an organized force. There is more work to be done in Gaza.”

Dan Illouz, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 8 April)

“If only they had listened to what I said in every possible forum several months ago, we would have already had a successful operation in Rafah. Instead of being present in every news broadcast all over the world over and over again with questions about Rafah, we would have finished the job. We may have been criticized during the operation, but it would have been behind us by now. Too bad that we waited, we should not wait any longer. The situation has not changed: there is no victory without entering Rafah. Rafah now.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of national security, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party (Twitter, 8 April)

“All respect to the commander of the Coastal Brigade, Major General Danny Levy, and the district police officers who dismantled the mourning tent of the terrorist Walid Daqqah in Baqa al-Gharbiya, may God erase his memory (…)This is what we meant when we said that there is no place for luxurious mourning tents for a vile terrorist.”

Boaz Bismuth, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 3 April)

“(…) The Hebrew University has returned a lecturer[13] to teaching after she stated that Israel committing genocide in Gaza. These are the ones who educate our future generations with taxpayers' money.”

Tzvi Yedida Sukkot, MK for Religious Zionism Party in an interview with Channel 12 (Twitter, 3 April)

“Are you ready to provide the Palestinians autonomy? No, no, no. What, no, no, no? Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely not at all. ”

Yitzhak Kroizer, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) Party (Twitter, 3 April)

“I just passed a bill proposal in a first vote in the Knesset plenum that permits sentencing terrorist children[14] under 14 years old to imprisonment. I am very hopeful with this path of deterrence – Hopefully we can prevent the next terrorism victims. Because in an ideological act of terrorism-there is no rehabilitation or forgiveness. It is forbidden to contain and accept - the cruel terrorism must be eliminated!”

Hanoch Milwidsky, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 2 April)

"If we would be a little flexible on the issue of returning the citizens of the Strip to the north, it would have been possible to complete the deal of the kidnapped" - lies. The return of citizens to the northern Gaza Strip is a fundamental strategic matter. We cannot allow a situation in which we are creating residents’ concentrations in other places in the Gaza Strip that prevent us from continuing the war after the completion of the deal.”

II. Against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Religious Zionism Party (Ynet, 25 April)[15]

 “As is known, in recent years, the Palestinian Authority[16] has been promoting a series of unilateral moves against Israel in international bodies, such as the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, the Security Council, and the United Nations General Assembly. A year ago, I requested a strategic discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of the existence of the PA, and to examine our relations (…) If these unilateral moves are advanced, Israel will sever all ties with the Palestinian Authority and bring about its immediate downfall, and will extend its immediate and unilateral sovereignty over all the territories of Judea and Samaria[17]. Unilateral steps will be met with unilateral steps.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of national security, MK for Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party (Twitter, 21 April)

“In continuation of the political decision of the Biden government to impose sanctions on the ‘Netzah Yehuda’ Battalion[18] and settlers, this morning I wrote a letter to the prime minister demanding that the Political - Security Cabinet be convened this evening, to decide on immediate sanctions against the Palestinian Authority. To vote on confiscating the Palestinian Authority’s funds transferred to it by Israel and formulating a series of tough sanctions against Palestinian banks.”

Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (Twitter, 3 April) [19]

“There are those in the United Nations who want to give a reward to Hamas terrorists by promoting a unilateral resolution for a Palestinian state. I explained to the ambassadors: the Palestinian Authority is a terrorist entity. A unilateral support for a Palestinian terrorist state will only guarantee more bloodshed, more atrocities like October 7th!!”

Orit Malka Strok, Minister of Settlements and National Missions, MK for Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 4 April)

“The Palestinian Authority is the problem, not the solution. It is the one who budgets terrorism by law, systematically educates and incites terrorism, openly and deliberately tramples on the agreements it signed, and acts against us in the international arena. Bringing it into any activity in Gaza is a catastrophic strategic mistake, an activity devoid of validity. I demand clarification at the government meeting.”

III. Against UN Organizations

May Golan, Minister of Social Equality and the Status of Women, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 23 April)

“The UN and Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, every time manage to set a new record of hypocrisy, anti-Semitism and a historical cover-up of sexual crimes. Countless testimonies of difficult and shocking cases of rape and slaughter of Israeli women committed on 07.10, were not enough for the Secretary-General to include the Nazis in Hamas in the blacklist of those suspected of committing sexual violence during a conflict. (…) It has not even been a nonsense UN in a long time: the time has come to call the boy by his name: an anti-Semitic, extremist and dangerous institution that sees Israel as an enemy state and the Nazis Hamas as natural partners (…)”

Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (Twitter, 19 April)

“Important update: I just left the Security Council after it voted in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state. The United States voted against and blocked this destructive course of the council. I thank the United States and President Biden from the bottom of my heart, for thwarting this unilateral move to impose a Palestinian terrorist state, and for his position in the face of hypocrisy in the Security Council. Immediately after the vote, I told the council: I have appeared before you almost weekly since the massacre of 07.10. I repeat and explain our arguments, I plead, convince, bring facts and evidence, show photos, show videos. But you refuse to condemn, refuse to listen, do not examine anything and refuse to do the moral and important thing. I will no longer try to fix what is already broken. Talking to the Security Council is like talking to a wall!! I pray that the day will come when you will understand the magnitude of the mistake you are making here. Before it's too late.”

Tzvi Yedida Sukkot, MK for Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 19 April)

“Almost the entire UN "Security" Council chose this evening to award a reward to the greatest murderers for the greatest atrocities committed in the last century. The Nukhba who raped, burned, cut and shot children and the elderly[20] received this evening a certificate of appreciation from the UN Security Council. The same anti-Semitism that allowed the Holocaust. We established a state so that never again.”

Danny Danon, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 18 April)

“Tonight at the UN we will see another show of hypocrisy when a few countries will try to declare a state of “Palestine” as a reward for terrorism. Spoiler: it will not happen.”

Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (Twitter, 18 April)

“In a special session on UNRWA, I revealed the truth about the UN terrorist agency: after all, UNRWA is a Palestinian terrorist organization that is committed to the destruction of Israel! The goal of UNRWA is not really to provide aid or education, but to create millions of Palestinian refugees who believe in the ‘right to Return’, which does not exist, to flood Israel and demolish the Jewish state.”

VI. Additional Examples

Shlomo Karhi, Minister of Communications, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 25 April)

“Contrary to the law that was approved by the Knesset[21]: the attorney General prevented the Ministerial Council from discussing the closure of Al Jazeera. The Attorney General has given a wind of support to Al Jazeera by stalling, with fake discussions that she asked to hold and the absurd demands that she imposes on us against the law. (…) Bahrav Mayara[22] makes life easy for our enemies and stands firmly against all our attempts to protect the IDF fighters and the state of Israel from the trumpets of Hamas...Currently, they will continue to pose a danger to our soldiers and incite against the state of Israel relentlessly, with permits from the Israeli government’s press office, a disgrace. We will continue to fight for law enforcement and the closure of Al Jazeera.”

Avigdor Lieberman, MK for Yisrael Beytenu (Israel Our Home) Party (Twitter, 24 April)

“Yesterday, apparently in honor of Passover, Egypt moved containers full of cigarettes from the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip. If that is not enough, Egypt has allowed a considerable amount of Nukhba terrorists, including those who participated in the massacre on the seventh of October and were injured, to exit through the Rafah crossing with escort to get medical treatment - in complete opposition to all understandings and agreements with Israel. I hope to find an Israeli official who has the courage to explain to Egypt in a clear and unambiguous way that the double game they are playing is unacceptable. The time has come to put order in the Rafah crossing along the Philadelphia axis, even these days (when) Hamas continues with its smuggling operation through the tunnels located under the axis.”

Boaz Bismuth, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 23 April)

“Don't let them fool you: Protesters at universities in the United States are not interested in Gazans, they are not demonstrating for them, they can claim that until tomorrow. The demonstrators at the universities are simply anti-Semites, and these demonstrations stem from anti-Semitism and not from any other reason. I support the Jewish community, students and lecturers who are fighting for the truth and for those who love life.”

Ofir Sofer, MK for Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 20 April)

“The decision of the United States to impose sanctions on the ‘Netzah Yehuda’ Battalion (Jews forever) is an absurd, illogical decision that constitutes support for our enemies. I support the IDF fighters in general and the Netzah Yehuda fighters especially who are working on 24/7 to thwart terrorism and defend the citizens of the state of Israel. There is no place for the imposition of sanctions by our friends on the citizens of Israel and certainly not on IDF soldiers.”

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 18 April)[23]

“In support of peace with the peoples of the region. Peace in exchange for peace! We believe that Saudi Arabia also wants this. A Palestinian state is an obstacle of peace and an existential threat to Israel. We will not allow (it). Neither by actions, nor by statements.”

Tally Gotliv, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 17 April)

“I can accuse the United States of not getting our dear hostages back. The United States has crippled Israeli pressure tools on Hamas. Prevented the attack on Rafah for 3 months! It pushed for a major expansion of the amount of aid trucks to Gaza. In fact, it expected Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza. The United States has sent a message to cease the fighting in Gaza regardless of the return of our hostages. But I blame the government that submitted to Biden's dictates. There's no reason for Sinwar to give our hostages back. He enjoys glorifying the terrorist organization Hamas. Israel is no longer exhausting him in fighting. That is the truth that is the reality. Without a strong fight, Hamas will not yield. We must restore Israel’s strength, greatness, and deterrence capability.”

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Religious Zionist Party (Twitter, 7 April)[24]

“Another step and another step towards the recognition of young settlement(s) that we promised[25] to develop. Thanks to the Ministry of Interior for the cooperation. Making Zionism![26]”

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, MK for Likud Party (Twitter, 1 April)

“Al Jazeera harmed the security of Israel, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against IDF soldiers. The time has come to expel Hamas's Shofar[27] from our country. The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activity [28](…)”

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 1 April)[29]

“This is important news for the settlement, for Gush Etzion[30] and for historical justice. For almost a year we have been working to promote the procedures for the declaration of lands in Judea and Samaria. After conducting a land survey and in-depth examinations, the Civil Administration declares the lands as state lands. Very important actions as part of the fight for the open territories.”