Israeli Official Incitement: January 2019

Israeli Official Incitement between January 1 –January 30, 2019

This report includes examples of recent inciting statements made by top Israeli officials against the Palestinian people including prisoners and martyrs and their families. It highlights inciting statements made against the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as statements against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.

Minister of Education, Minister of Diaspora Affairs MK (The New Right) Naftali Bennett (Twitter, 7 January)

“….we must demolish their homes as soon as possible, we must not allow money to reach their families and we must expel their family members that are involved. As long as this won’t happen, the incentives will continue to encourage Palestinians to kill Jews. The new right wing party won’t only kill the terrorist mosquitos, but will work on drying up the source of terrorism.”

MK (Likud) Anat Berko published a Twitter post on 21 January that includes a scene where she appears to be allegedly kidnapped by Palestinians and then being questioned by a masked man on why she joined the Israel occupation army. Berko proudly answered that she has contributed in enacting a law which prohibits wide participation in the funerals of Palestinian martyrs’:

“ There won’t be any big funerals for those whom you call martyrs, this is over. They must be buried at night, like the donkey buried without being seen by anyone.”

MK (Likud) Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security and Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information, released a video on his Twitter account on 28 January in which he expresses his pride over banning visits of Palestinian prisoners’ families

“This time I planned to tell you how I stopped the visits of the families of Hamas prisoners’ from Gaza to jails. From my part, as long as our kidnapped citizens don’t receive visits, and the families of our killed citizens cannot bury their beloved ones, Hamas terrorists won’t be seeing their families in the jail.”

 

MK (Likud) Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security and Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information (Israel Hayom, 27 January)

“In my opinion, and I reiterate my position; the security cabinet should discuss all the options in regards to Gaza, from returning to assassinations to launching land operations as well as the return of the Israeli permanent presence…”

III.The Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel

MK (Likud) Oren Hasan (Facebook, 10 January)

“In the Arab sector, they don’t learn the lesson, they want the terrorist Al-Tibi, who is pursuing the path of the biggest terrorist Arafat may god’s damnation fall upon him, who sits on the top of Hamas joint list. For the past four years I was keen to make Zahalqa and Zoabi shut up, I talked to them in the language that they understand- power- until I kicked them off to their homes. Now it’s the turn of Al-Tibi, I promise you. In the next Knesset, I promise you that Mohammad Al-Tibi won’t speak from the podium! And as long as the collaborator Al-Tibi harms the state, insult our soldiers and call them “murderers” from the podium, encourage terrorists and their families, I will be there to shut his mouth.”

IV.President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership

MK (Likud) Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information, (Kan, 14 January)

“In the past, Yasser Arafat was announced as a character that must be ignored, perhaps we have to think of one of Abu Mazen’s trips abroad, not to allow him to come back, because today he is useless in any political process, he is just causing harm.”

MK (Likud) Zeev Elkin, Minister of Environmental Protection, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, (Twitter, 23 January)

“…does anyone think that a person who is willing to pay a salary of a minister, which is the highest salary paid by the PA, for those who murderer Jews really intend to make peace with the state of Israel?! Mahmoud Abbas is not the solution, Mahmoud Abbas is the problem!”

MK (Likud) Avi Dichter released a video against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership over salaries to families of Palestinian prisoners and martyrs. During an alleged visit to President Mahmoud Abbas, Dichter appears in the video as a man in search of a job for his son (Arutz 7, 24 January 2019)

Dichter: “Hello, I am looking for an employment for my son?”

Allegedly President Abbas “who do you know?”

Dichter: “I only know god”

Allegedly President Abbas “which item fits you?”

Dichter: “What do you mean?”

Allegedly President Abbas: “your salary will be determined according to the years of imprisonment. 5 years you will get a monthly salary of 2000 nis, 30 years of imprisonment you will get a monthly salary of 12,000 nis”

Dichter: “what if he opened fire on a Jew but did not kill him?”

Allegedly President Abbas: “he will receive 20 years of imprisonment and will get the amount you see in the list.”

Dichter: “if the army shot the boy?”

Allegedly President Abbas: “you will receive this money on monthly bases.”

Dichter: “The walls have ears, the fun and games are over, what did you think? That you would continue to pay salaries to terrorists while the state of Israel will continue napping? One billion and three hundred million nis you are paying annually to terrorists, you cannot hide it from the Israelis, the law that I passed in the Knesset will resolve this issue. My son go find a job by your own better than referring to this so-called patriotism..”

V.Additional Examples

MK (Jewish Home) Bezalel Smotrich (Twitter, 26 January)

“I don't understand what is the problem with not pulling the trigger against a berserk enemy that is endangering our lives. If we have to choose between not pulling the trigger and the shameful dangerous images that we see in the last period; soldiers fleeing from the Arabs stoning them, then my choice is simple: deterrence, deterrence and deterrence.