Israeli Official Incitement: September 2019

Israeli Official Incitement: September 2019

This report highlights recent inciting statements by senior Israeli officials; including members of political parties, the Parliament (Knesset), as well as leaders of extremist and illegal settlers’  organizations. It includes examples of official Israeli incitement against the people of Palestine in Gaza and the Bedouin village of Al Khan Al Ahmar, BDS movement, as well as of fierce wave of incitement ahead of the Israeli elections against the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel; particularly their representatives in the Knesset.1 

I. The Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel

Yoaz Hendel, MK Blue and White Party (Israeli Channel 13, 28 September) 

“The foundation stones of the State of Israel is that Israel is a Jewish democratic state, in my opinion whoever does accept democracy such as the Kahanists should be ousted, also whoever does not accept Israel as being the state of the Jewish people must be boycotted. Therefore, the Arab Joint List will not be part of any government that is why we will not sit with them…there are Knesset members who must not be in the Knesset like Ofer Cassif [Joint List member].”  

Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud (Israeli Channel 13, 23 September)

“The Arab members of the Knesset, in particular, opposed a law to accelerate the establishment of police centers in the Arab neighborhoods. They are mainly interested in visiting terrorists in jail, and in almost every process of law enforcement in the center they criticize the police instead of supporting them.”
 

Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud (Twitter, 22 September)

“Odeh hates Israel, he praises the murderous Arafat, he visits the murderous terrorists and does neither condemn Hezbollah nor Hamas, he said in an interview on Palestinian Television that everything needs to be done to overthrow the prime minister and the Likud (because he sees the achievements in front of the United States as tremendous damage to his interests, the interests of our enemies), he complains about incitement, it makes sense.”

Itamar Ben Gvir leader of Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 22 September)

“To summarize the elections’ campaign that has ended …the fact that high percentage of people voted for us proves that the existence of Otzma Yehudit is crucial,  however all the players in the political arena have demonstrated weakness particularly in front of the terrorist slate2  which means we are in essential need of Otzma Yehudit.”

Eli Ben Dahan, Deputy Minister of Defense inciting against Palestinian MK Ahmad Al-Tibi (Twitter, 22 September)  

“Ahmad, you are lying shamelessly, shame on you. 4000 years ago our ancestors were promised the land of Israel, even before you dreamed of existing in this land. No fictitious mythical people would ever take our right to sovereignty in this land. The land of Israel, is for the people of Israel. Your lies won’t change this fact.”

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Yamina party (Twitter, 21 September)

“Gantz, Lapid and Lieberman are seeking to liquidate Zionism and the rule of law and are aiming to seize power at any cost. While they are boycotting their brotherly Haridim – Ultra Orthodox Jews- they are embracing the supporters of terror, the deniers of the Jewish State. This is very sad. It would be interesting to see in this Oslo government figures like Hauser, Hendel and their partners [Blue and White members]…”

Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister MK Likud (Twitter, 18 September)

“Israel needs a strong and Zionist government. There won’t be, and cannot be, a government that relies on anti-Zionist Arab parties who are denying the very existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, parties that glorify the terrorists who are thirsty of bloodshed and are murdering our soldiers, our people and our sons as well.”

Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister MK Likud (Facebook, 17 September)

“…Kafr Manda shows shocking high percentage of voting among Arab community, it is high, there are queues of voters since the early morning, there is very high interest to vote , I don’t recall such interest since long years. This is not the campaign of ‘save me’, this is the reality, they are trying to hide this reality from you. There is very high percentage of voting in the towns of the left, meanwhile the percentage of voting in the Likud towns is low. If you wish to prevent Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz from sitting on this chair..and to establish a left government with the Arab slates, if you wish to prevent this disaster you must wake up , wake up and go to vote…”

Itamar Ben Gvir leader of Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 11 September)

“Next time Ayman Odeh approaches the prime minister from zero point in such a threatening way, he might carry a knife. Ayman Odeh is the man who supports the murder of IDF soldiers, his place is in Syria and not in the Knesset. In the next Knesset we will take care not to allow the supporter of terror Odeh to sit in the Israeli Knesset.”

Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister MK (Likud) accused the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel of forging the elections (Twitter, 8 September)3
 

“The cameras prevent theft in elections.”

  

Naftali Bennett, former Minister of Education and MK Yamina party accused the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel of forging elections (Twitter, 8 September)

“I am not a racist and I do not have any hatred of the other, but factually most of the chaos we saw was in the non-Jewish sector. It's just a fact…”

Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud (Twitter, 5 September)

“Ayman Odeh proves today at the conference of influencers that he is an abhorrent liar supporting terror. I am proud that I succeeded in passing a decision which stops him from taking advantage of being an MK and misusing his immunity to visit his terrorist murderous disgraceful friends.”

Likud electoral campaign reiterates Netanyahu’s claims that the Palestinians citizens of Israel are "stealing" or forging the elections (Twitter, 4 September)

“We cannot ignore the feeling that they are stealing our elections. Today it was proven that if counterfeiting was avoided, the Democratic National Assembly won’t have passed the threshold and the right wing bloc led by Netanyahu would have won 61 seats…”

 II. Additional Examples

Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud (Twitter, 22 September)

“More and more Western countries are recognizing that the BDS is a racist anti-Semitic campaign with many connections to terrorism and has no place in the public discourse. This week I will present much evidence of this in the European Parliament.”

Illegal Settlers Organization ‘Regavim’ (Facebook, 19 September)

“In the 2019 elections we vote against the establishment of the state of terror.”4

Naftali Bennett, former Minister of Education, MK Yamina party (Twitter, 15 September)

“And since then, everything has changed: - We have deterred the establishment of a Palestinian state. - We stopped the release of terrorists. - We prevented freezes…Without a strong Yamina, no one will stop the disaster of the islands’ plan within the state of Palestine.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu MK Likud (Kan Bet, 12 September)

“It seems the only choice we’ll have is waging a broad military operation and war against terror organizations in Gaza….we are preparing for another war, we will decide when it’s the appropriate time to do that….”

Moshe Feiglin, the leader of Zehut (Identity) party, in support of Netanyahu’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley (Twitter, 10 September)

“Since the cursed Oslo Accords - this is the first time the right sets an alternative strategy to the Left. The Prime Minister’s statement over the sovereignty in the Jordan Valley is not less than a historic statement. This is a strategic beginning that would turn back the wheel of the disastrous Oslo. This is our land, solely our land.”

Moshe Feiglin, leader of Zehut (Identity) party commenting on news reported by Israel’s Channel 20 that Canada will receive 100,000 Palestinians from the West Bank in the context of the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’. Zehut platform calls for the expulsion of Palestinians to what they call as ‘their countries of origin’ (Twitter, 4 September)

“Who would believe? Canada is ready to receive 100,000 "Palestinians" ... Of course, those who read the political chapter of the Zehut platform are not surprised at all. In the Western world there is low birth rate, therefore they are in need of laborers…”

Yamina party posted a Video as part of its electoral campaign, in which it incites against the Palestinian Bedouin village of Al-Khan Al-Ahmar (Twitter, 3 September)

“Al Khan Al-Ahmar will be evacuated with or without an agreement…without a strong Yamina this won’t happen.”

• 1. The Knesset was temporarily dissolved on 30 May 2019 and the elections were held on 17 September 2019. The Israeli ministers will continue to hold their portfolios in the current temporary government until a new government is formed.
• 2. In reference to the Arab Joint List
• 3. The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, promoted the "camera bill" to pass it before the last Israeli elections of 17 September. The bill mainly targets the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel, whom Netanyahu has frequently accused of voter fraud; what he called an 'election theft.' In the previous elections of April 2019, Likud representatives placed about 1,200 hidden cameras in Arab ballot stations.
• 4. In reference to the State of Palestine.