Israeli Official Incitement: September 2022
Israeli Official Incitement: September 2022
I. Against the Palestinian People
Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 1 September 2023)[1]
“As men of law, and as the minister in charge of enforcing the law, the Prison Service does not have the option of deviating from the law's instructions and the Prison Service order, which state that family visits for prisoners[2] is once every two months, and not as the Shabas[3] has allowed visits once a month so far (…)”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 6 September 2023)[4]
“This is why I work so hard to change the conception that existed in organizations under the ministry of national security until today. The natural place for terrorists[5] is in the grave, and if they arrived at prisons, then they must suffer as much as possible. The entire world is laughing at the imprisonment conditions of terrorists in Israeli prison.”
Limor Sonn Har Melech, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 19 September 2023)
“Yes, I believe that Amiram Ben Uliel[6] is innocent and that his confession was taken under torture that no one can withstand. And if you want proof of prosecution, look at the insistence to leave him 8 years in solitary confinement, an unprecedented sanction (…)”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 28 September 2023)[7]
“I thank the Shin Bet[8] and the security forces who led to the exposure and capture of the terrorist cell that meant to assassinate an Israeli minister. I will continue working fearlessly to significantly change the imprisonment conditions of terrorists in prison, for the continuation of the war on terror, for the right to prayer and for Jewish sovereignty in the Temple Mount[9], for the wholeness of our land, and for the promise of the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of Israel.”
II. Against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership
Amichai Chikli, Minister for Social Equality and Pensioners, Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Member of Likud party (Twitter, 20 September 2023)
“These days, there is a globally promoted campaign to blame Israel for war crimes and apartheid, led by the Palestinian Authority[10]. The campaign is in partnership with “human rights” organizations such as Amnesty, who has recently held conferences with the participation of previously convicted terror activists.”
I completely condemn the severe statements from activists of the extremist left-wing organization “Brothers in Arms”[11] that were broadcasted to tens of millions of people in the USA and across the world, and created, along with miserable statements from a few has-beens, heavy damage to the state of Israel.
It is inconceivable that citizens of the state of Israel[12], as much as they object to the government, would serve the lie industry of the PLO and its partners, and feed their efforts to delegitimize the IDF and the state of Israel.
The Israeli Defense Army and the air force pilots in particular, are an example of role model for preserving the lives of innocents from crimes in the combat arena – more than any other army in the world, in the face of a cynical and cruel enemy[13] that systemically uses women and children as a human shield (…)”
Limor Sonn Har Melech, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 13 September 2023)[14]
“Yesterday, I sent a letter to the minister of defense warning against the insane intention of arming the murderous Palestinian Authority and return to the destructive policy of the Oslo Accords. If the minister of defense and the government want to repeat the mistakes of Oslo, which has cost us the blood of thousands of killed and injured, we will not be a part of it, and we will not sit in such government under any condition.”
Amichay Eliyahu, Minister of Heritage, Member of Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish Power) (Twitter, 7 September 2023)
“For some time, criminals, sponsored by the Palestinian Authority are trying to damage the antiquities of the Jewish people in Mount Ebal[15] (…) the Authority engages in ugly attempts to damage the place, and rob us of the history, and steal the true identity of this land (…) the heritage sites in Judea and Samaria[16] are an inseparable part of the history and culture of the people of Israel, and their protection is our right and duty to our forefathers, who for 2000 years longed to return to Zion (…).”
Limor Sonn Har Melech, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 7 September 2023)[17]
“TLDR[18] – they are about to destroy the alter on Mount Ebal and the Minister of defense is silent. If the destruction continues, it will be a cry for generations. Already in the middle of my term in the Knesset, I was exposed by the professional and dedicated guys of “A fight for every dunam”[19] to the plan that the Palestinian Authority is promoting at the Joshua Alter on Mount Ebal. I saw that it was an organized plan.”
Tzvi Yedidia Sukkot, Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism party (Twitter, 7 September 2023)
“Last week, the Palestinian Authority began construction work a meter away from the fence that the people of Israel built 3000 years ago. There is no chance that we will allow damage to this unique place on our watch. Thank God, the construction has halted for now, and we will do everything so that this place is guarded all the time. The neighborhood will not be built and the alter will have its rightful place.”[20]
Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 13 September 2023) [21]
“Mr. Prime Minister, if you do not guarantee in your own voice that the reports regarding weapons transfer to the terrorists of the Palestinian Authority are wrong – there will be consequences. If you intend to strive for Oslo Government 2, please let your ministers and public know and we will act accordingly.”
Yuli Yoel Edelstein, Member of Knesset for the Likud party (Twitter, 21 September 2023)
“The lobby for the Land of Israel, which I chair, along with my friend, MK Simcha Rothman and MK Sonn Har Melech, has led today, with the Yesha Council[22] and Regavim[23] movement, an extensive tour in Gush Etzion[24] and Hebron. We visited the reserve[25] in the Judea desert, where the Palestinian Authority is building an illegal Arab city against the Oslo Accords.”
Limor Sonn Har Melech, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 22 September 2023)
“Yesterday, the lobby for the Land of Israel, which I chair along with my friends, member of Knesset Yuli Edelstein and Simcha Rothman, held an extensive tour in Gush Etzion and the settlement in Judea and Samaria.
The members of the lobby who joined the tour were exposed to the extensive and dangerous Arab construction in the reserve (a huge nature reserve that was given to the Palestinians in the Wye Memorandum[26] on the condition that they maintain it and not build on it).
We saw how the city is being built systemically to create a dangerous buffer between Gush Etzion and Mount Hebron to the Dead Sea, under our noses and there is no one stopping this insane move. The construction is, of course, not innocent, and it is continuing a whole policy of take-over and taking bites of more Israeli land.
The defense minister and the Prime Minister do not have the “privilege” to intervene, but an obligation. There is a dangerous strategic territorial continuity that threatens the state of Israel. We all understand already that this is what happens when you compromise with the Palestinian Authority, deluding that they will protect the land for us (…)”
Amichai Chikli, Minister for Social Equality and Pensioners, Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Likud party (Twitter, 21 September 2023)
“The Corrupt Palestinian Authority must not be a part of any Saudi-Israel deal.”[27]
Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations (Twitter, 22 September 2023)
“Abu Mazen proves again that his time has passed, and any connection between him and reality is definitely coincidental. The anti-Semitic Abu Mazen, who was defending Hitler and blamed the Jews for the holocaust only weeks ago, stood here yesterday, on the EU stage and called the murderous Palestinian terrorism “silent resistance”. Terrorism is terrorism, it is terrorism. Instead of giving him respect, leaders of the world should condemn him severely and work for his removal.”
III. And Against the Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Facebook, 9 September 2023)[28]
“I am reading the statement of the IDF[29] spokesperson saying “the entry of the fighters[30] to Kufr Qasem is against orders” and I am shocked. Kufr Qasem[31] is X territory in the state of Israel? I fully support our hero fighters, who during an operational action, fulfilled their role and engaged in contact. Our fighters are working day and night with dedication while risking their lives, to guard the safety and life of Israeli citizens, and we are obligated to support them fully. Let the IDF win.”
Yitzhak Kroizer, Member of Knesset for the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party (Twitter, 12 September 2023)
“This morning, in the finance committee, Ahmad Tibi[32] attempted to prevent funding to the Yoav unit, which is in charge of real estate enforcement in the Negev[33]. I exposed his true face, he does not want law and order, but anarchy. Not on our watch!”
IV. Against UN Organizations
Dan Illouz, Member of Knesset for the Likud party (twitter, 17 September 2023)[34]
“In case you were wondering how disconnected UNESCO is, yesterday, on New Year’s Eve, the organization recognized the city of Jericho as a Palestinian heritage site. UNESCO proves again how disconnected they are from reality.”
Boaz Bismuth, Member of Knesset for the Likud party (Twitter, 17 September 2023)
“From the same UNESCO organization that claimed in 2016 that there is no relation between the Jewish people and holy sites in Jerusalem – I expect nothing.”
Orit Malka Strock, Minister of National Missions, Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism party (Twitter, 17 September 2023)
“Again, UNESCO takes a despicable step of denying history. Again, this decision will not change the simple fact that Jericho’s history, along with exclusive sovereignty over it, belongs to the people of Israel and the state of Israel. The meaning of the decision – a stain of shame on the head of the CEO Audrey Azoulay[35], who promised that the organization will not make any more anti-Israeli decisions.”
Amichay Eliyahu, Minister of Heritage, Member of Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish Power) (Twitter, 18 September 2023)
“UNESCO’s decision to declare Tel Jericho as a Palestinian heritage site is a distortion of history.
As in past years, the UNESCO acts in contradiction to the objective truth when it recognizes the ancient Jericho site as Palestinian, legitimizing the Palestinian Authority which is systematically denying heritage and severely damaging historical sites on daily bases, and even destroying them.
The sites in Jericho are of importance to the Jewish people, as is told in the Bible, the Quran, and in the New Testament, and as shown through a scientific examination of relics from the ancient sites in the area. It is a shame that UNESCO chooses to turn the important issue of preserving history into a political tool to attack the State of Israel(…)
Many have tried in the past to deny the Jewish people’s connection to its land and were not successful. They will not be successful in this case either. The state of Israel will act resolutely to protect the heritage of the Jewish people – everywhere throughout the Land of Israel, including Jericho.”
V. Additional Examples
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism Party (Twitter, 6 September 2023)[36]
“Congratulations to the settlements’ residents and the settlements as a whole. I commend the signing of the jurisdiction orders for the communities of Avigail, Asael, and Beit Hogla. Great things are happening in the settlements, and the patriotic government promotes a right-wing, Zionist, and patriotic policy that sees development in the settlements of Judea and Samaria, an asset of the state of Israel.”
Orit Malka Strock, Minister of National Missions, Member of Knesset for the Religious Zionism party (Twitter, 6 September 2023)
“We were dreamers!
We promised – now we deliver.
Asael
Avigail
Beit Hogla
3 wonderful news for the New Year!
Thank you Bezalel Smotrich[37]
And thank you to the Young Settlement Forum[38], that led this struggle with courage, commitment, determination, and believe that the day will come when there is a national government that will fulfill the dreams.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, Chairman of the Likud party (Twitter, 6 September 2023)
“We brought another embassy to our capital Jerusalem - Papua New Guinea, the first country from Asia and the pacific ocean area to do so. Papua New Guinea is a very large country with big opportunities. Welcome to our capital Jerusalem!”
[1] Haaretz cited Yideot Ahronot report that Ben Gvir decided to reduce family visits for Palestinian prisoners from once a month to once every two months and added that PM Netanyahu’s office dismissed this report as “fake news.”
[2] In reference to Palestinian prisoners
[3] The Israeli Prison Service
[4] The post is in response to a report by Radio channel 103FM quoting former head of the prisoner’s department in the Israeli Prisons’ service, Eyal Gover, saying that “security prisoners must be treated with respect (…)”
[5] In reference to Palestinians inside Israeli prisons
[6] Amiram Ben Uliel is an illegal Israeli settler who burned down the Dawabsheh family's home in Duma village (Nablus) while they were sleeping, killing the parents and a one-year-old baby. Previously, he confessed to the murder, but later recanted, saying he confessed under torture.
[7] This post is in response to an allegation that Israeli services prevented an operation against Itamar Ben Gvir.
[8] Israel’s internal security service
[9] In reference to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
[10] In reference to the Palestinian Government
[11] “Brothers and Sisters in Arms” is an Israeli movement of reserve soldiers from various units in the Israeli Occupation Forces opposing the judicial reform promoted by the Israeli government. Some right-wing politicians have opposed statements made by members of the organization that as they have allegedly “defamed” Occupation Forces.
[12] Ibid
[13] In reference to the Palestinian people.
[14] The post includes a letter MK Sonn Har Melech sent to the minister of “defense”, Yoav Gallant, questioning the shipment of weapons from the US to the Palestinian Government. A report by the Times of Israel alleged that the Palestinian Government received a shipment of armored vehicles and weapons from the US to regain control over the occupied West Bank. Israeli extremists were referring to an allegation that the Israeli occupation would have allowed for the entry to Palestine of a number of vehicles for the Palestinian security forces
[15] In reference to a mountain near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli politicians have falsely accused Palestinians of conducting construction and excavations damaging archeological sites.
[16] In reference to the occupied West Bank of the State of Palestine
[17] The post refers to an appeal demanding protection to the so-called Jewish heritage sites in the occupied West Bank.
[18] Short for “Too long, didn’t read”
[19] In reference to a right-wing settlers' organization promoting illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and inciting against Palestinians.
[20] See footnote 15
[21] See footnote 14
[22] An umbrella organization for councils representing the illegal Israeli colonial-settlements in the occupied West Bank
[23] A right-wing settlers’ organization that promotes illegal Israeli colonial-settlements in the occupied West Bank.
[24] In reference to a group of illegal Israeli colonial-settlements in the governorates of Bethlehem and Hebron.
[25] In reference to a nature reserve in the eastern Bethlehem area close to the Palestinian town of Teqoa, in the area that the settlers refer to as "eastern Etzion"
[26] The Wye River Memorandum was an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization at a summit in Wye River, Maryland, U.S., held from 15–23 October 1998. The Memorandum aimed to resume the implementation of the 1995 Interim Agreement (Oslo II).
[27] Post was later deleted.
[28] Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers entered the Palestinian town of Kafr Qasem (inside Israel proper) on 9 September claiming they were chasing Palestinians without entry permits to Israel, contrary to military guidelines. The soldiers physically assaulted local residents and fired stun grenades at them.
[29] Israeli Occupation Forces.
[30] In reference to the Israeli occupation forces
[31] Palestinian city in the territory occupied by Israel during the Nakba of 1948.
[32] MK Ahmad Tibi is the Chair of Ta’al party, part of the Joint List, representing Palestinian citizens in Israel.
[33] Al-Naqab is an area in the south of Israel where the majority of the Palestinian Bedouin community resides. Their conditions are extremely harsh, including 88 unrecognized villages that are older than the State of Israel, with limited access to water, electricity, housing, health services, education and employment. The current government controls the community through over-policing, displacement, and home demolitions.
[34] This post responds to a Fox News article about UNESCO's recognition of the Tel El Sultan archaeological site in Jericho as a World Heritage Site in the State of Palestine.
[35]UNESCO’s Director General
[36] According to news reports, the regulation for building three illegal Israeli colonial-settlements; Avigail and Asael in the Hebron Hills and Beit Hogla in the Jordan Valley, has been set in motion. As part of the regulation of nine settlements, these settlements were included in the cabinet's February 2023 decision.
[37] Bezalel Smotrich is the Chair of the Religious Zionism party, Minister of Finance, and a Minister in the Ministry of "Defense," with responsibility for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and full authority over the Israeli Civil Administration/ Coordinator of Government Activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.
[38] A settlers’ organizations promoting Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.