Israeli Official Incitement: October 2022
Israeli Official Incitement: October 2022
I. Against the Palestinian People
Itamar Ben Gvir – Member of the Knesset for Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 11 October 2022)
“Israel is at war, and it is time to remove the gloves. Our soldiers are being killed daily in shooting attacks, and Gantz and Lapid are abandoning the security of the citizens of Israel and are not doing anything. We must bring back deterrence. Gantz, start working: complete lockdown on all of Nablus starting tonight[1], until all terrorists are eliminated. Death to terrorists.”
Orit Strock – Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism party (Twitter, 11 October 2022)
“Minister of Defense (…) send forces to eliminate the terrorism infrastructure called “Lion’s Den”.[2] If its goal is to make our life in Judea and Samaria[3] hell – all its members need to be sent there. Send forces to prevent free movement of Palestinians on our roads, which allows them to reach the fringes of our towns with automatic weapons. Let’s start from there.”
Benjamin Netanyahu – Member of Knesset for the Likud party and head of the opposition (Twitter, 11 October 2022)
“(…) Lapid and Gantz refuse to impose a lockdown on Judea and Samaria[4]. This is not how you conquer terrorism[5]. Only a strong hand can win against terrorism.”
Aryeh Machluf Deri – Member of Knesset for Shas party (Twitter, 11 October 2022)
“(…) Terrorism[6] can be conquered with an iron hand and determination. We must bring back the feeling of security to the people.”
Itamar Ben Gvir – Member of the Knesset for Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 12 October 2022)
“Omer Bar Lev[7], why are you not allowing our police officers to open fire towards hundreds of terrorists [8] who are trying to kill them in Jerusalem right now? Until when will you abandon their lives and our lives?”[9]
Itamar Ben Gvir – Member of the Knesset for Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 14 October 2022)
“Following the riots in Shimon Hatzadik[10], I took the kids to the arcade to teach them what to do to terrorists (…).”
Im Tirtzu Movement[11] (Twitter, 19 October 2022)
“On Sunday we will demand: don’t release murderous terrorists[12]!”
Regavim Organization [13] (Twitter, 19 October 2022)
"The Palestinians are fighting with cement mixers and live shooting, and “Mr. Security”[14] is silent. It is hard not to see the connection between the political anarchy, the disregard and the lack of governance of Minister of Defense Benny Gantz, the Palestinian takeover of Area C and the sharp increase in attacks(…)"
Orit Strock – Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism party (Twitter, 25 October 2022)
“Ayelet Shaked and Benny Gantz together prevented- twice! – The law on annulling the citizenship and residency of terrorists[15] (…) why prevent it? Only because with Ra’am [16] in the government you cannot promote such a just law.”
Yair Lapid – Alternate Israeli Prime Minister and Head of Yesh Attid party (Twitter, 25 October 2022)
“The elimination of Wadee’ al-Houh, the head of the “Lion’s Den”[17] organization, along with other terrorists[18], – is a result of a joint action between the IDF[19], Shin Bet[20], and Yamam [21] tonight in Nablus. As part of the action, the terrorist lab “Lion’s Den” was severely damaged. It is a precise and deadly blow to the heart of terrorism infrastructures attempting to execute attacks.”
Avigdor Liberman – Member of Knesset for Yisrael Beytenu and Minister of Finance
(Twitter, 25 October 2022)[22]
“I congratulate the IDF[23] fighters and the security forces who tonight acted with a lot of courage and thwarted terror activists from the organization “Lion’s Den” [24] in Nablus. Every criminal terrorist who tries to hurt citizens of Israel should know that the long arm of the security apparatus will reach his doorstep (…)”
Nir Barkat – Member of Knesset for the Likud party (Twitter, 25 October 2022)
“I support our security forces in their successful mission tonight in Nablus against the terrorism gang Lion’s Den. Let every terrorist know that the State of Israel will chase him and reach him with its long arm wherever he hides. Against terrorism we must act only with a determined iron hand (…)”
II. And Against the Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Ayelet Shaked – Minister of Interior Affairs, Member of the Knesset for the Yemina party (Twitter, 13 October 2022)
“When we see the riots and clashes in East Jerusalem and then this anti-Israeli video[25], it all connects. Hadash [26] and Ta’al[27] are terrorists in suits inciting Israel’s Arabs against the government and the state. They have no room in the Israeli Knesset.”
Benjamin Netanyahu – Member of Knesset for the Likud party and head of the opposition(Twitter, 26 October 2022)
“The cat is out of the bag: Everyone saw tonight, in television interviews, that Lapid said he is willing to form a government with terrorism supporters[28]. Lapid already closed on a government with the Muslim Brotherhood[29] and the Joint List. It's either right, or Palestine. Those who want a right-wing government for 4 years- vote only for Likud.”
Im Tirtzu Movement (Facebook, 26 October 2022)
“A protest in support of the terrorists[30] from Nablus, tomorrow at the entrance of the Tel Aviv University. Sounds crazy, right? It’s not. Tomorrow students of Balad[31] will hold this protest, and we need you to stop this madness. Send an email right now to the university management demanding they stop this wave of protests supporting terrorism that started last year. We will of course be there to film the terrorism supporters (…)”
Yoav Gallant – Member of Knesset for the Likud party
(Twitter, 25 October 2022)
“Terrorism supporter Aida Touma Sleiman [32] clarifies the situation: In a week the Israeli people will determine: A nationalist-Zionist government headed by the Likud and Netanyahu, or an Israeli-Palestinian government headed by Lapid along with Touma Sleiman and her friends[33].”
Regavim Organization (Facebook, 23 October 2022)
“(…) the number of weapons in Bedouistan[34] should worry us all. The day is not far in which this weapon will be directed towards the State of Israel, maybe the security apparatus should wake up and go from defense to offense.”
III. Against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership
Avi Dichter – Member of Knesset for the Likud Party (Facebook, 1 October 2022)
“Gentlemen, the history repeats (itself)! Yesterday, they[35] commemorated 22 years since the Second Intifada[36], named “The Suicides’ Intifada”. Recently, there has been a wave of terrorist attacks against citizens and soldiers, mainly in Judea and Samaria. Lead by the PLO, known as the PA[37] (…) The Palestinian security forces or their weapons are joining the PLO in attacks against IDF forces[38] who are preventing terrorism inside Palestinian refugees’ camps and villages in the Jenin and Nablus area, etc. (…) The president of the PA has not tried to stop his men from enacting terrorism, not then, and not now. President Abbas, who gave the most inciting and hostile speech[39] against Israel that was never given by him or his predecessors, is enjoying Lapid’s and Gantz’s forgiving attitude, like he received an upgraded immunity for anything he does (…)”
IV. Additional Examples
Itamar Ben Gvir – Member of the Knesset for Otzma Yehudit party(Twitter, 20 October 2022)
“This you have to see: Mohammad Majadleh [40]from Channel 12 insisted on calling Temple Mount “Al-Aqsa Mosque”. I insisted that Temple Mount – is our Temple Mount on which stood the Temple [41](…)”
[1] On 12 October, Israel imposed a strict siege on Nablus city, closing its entrances and setting up military checkpoints. During the 21-day siege, the Israeli occupation forces conducted military raids and arbitrary arrests against Palestinians, leading to the martyrdom of eight Palestinians. Israel also conducted military raids in other parts of the occupied West Bank including Jerusalem.
[2] In reference to “Areen Al-Usood”; a Palestinian resistance group in Nablus
[3] In reference to the occupied West Bank of the State of Palestine
[4] Ibid
[5] In reference to the Palestinian people
[6] Ibid
[7] In reference to MK Omer Bar Lev, Minister of Public Security and MK for the Labor party
[8] In reference to the Palestinian people
[9] “Their lives” refers to the Israeli occupation forces and “our lives” refers to the Jewish people
[10] In reference to Karm Al-Ja’ouni part of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, where Israel threatens over 70 Palestinian households with forced eviction and transfer to advance its colonial-settlement project in occupied Jerusalem / move in more of its illegal settlers
[11] In reference to an Israeli right-wing Zionist organization
[12] In reference to Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Humeid (49 years), a cancer patient whose health condition has recently severely deteriorated in Israeli prison. Im Tirtzu’s tweet is in response to an Israeli news report about a deliberation on his case in the parole commission affiliated with Israel’s Prison authority on 23 October.
[13] In reference to a right-wing settlers’ movement operating in the occupied West Bank, promoting construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements
[14] In reference to minister of “Defense” Benny Gantz
[15] In reference to Palestinians prisoners of occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian citizens of Israel
[16] In reference to the United Arab List party, headed by MK Mansour Abbas
[17] See footnote 2
[18] On October 25, the Israeli occupation forces carried out a military assault against Nablus city killing five Palestinians: Wadi al-Houh( 31 years), Hamdi Sharaf (35 years), Ali Antar (26 years), Hamdi Qayyim (30 years), and Mishaal Zahi Baghdadi (27 years), and injuring 20 others.
[19] In reference to the Israeli occupation forces
[20] In reference to Israel’s Security Agency
[21] Israel's so-called “National Counter Terror Unit”
[22] See footnote 19
[23] See footnote 20
[24] See footnote 2
[25] In reference to a video speaking against the Israeli occupation made by Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) led by MK Ayman Odeh. The video was shared by Yoseph Haddad, a right-wing Zionist activist.
[26] See footnote 26
[27] In reference to the Arab Movement for Renewal, led by MK Ahmad Tibi
[28] In reference to the Palestinian Arab parties in the Knesset
[29] In reference to the United Arab List party
[30] See footnote 19
[31] In reference to the National Democratic Assembly, led by Sami Abu Shehadi
[32] MK for the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality party
[33] In reference to the Knesset Palestinian Arab MKs representing the Palestinian citizens of Israel
[34] In reference to the indigenous Palestinian Bedouin in Al-Naqab
[35] In reference to the Palestinian people
[36] The Palestinian uprising that was ignited by the provocative visit of Ariel Sharon, Israel’s former PM, to Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound.
[37] In reference to Palestine Liberation organization and the Palestinian National Authority
[38] In reference to the Israeli occupation forces
[39] In reference to President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at UNGA77 on 23 September 2022
[40] A Palestinian (citizen of Israel) journalist.
[41] In reference to Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound