Israeli Official Incitement: October 2019
Israeli Official Incitement: October 2019
Israeli Incitement Reports
November 07, 2019
Israeli Official Incitement: October 2019
This report highlights recent inciting statements by senior Israeli officials, including members of political parties, members of the parliament (Knesset), as well as leaders of extremist and illegal settlers’ organizations. It includes examples of official Israeli incitement against the Palestinian people, including martyrs, prisoners and their families, Human Rights Defenders, the President of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian leadership, as well as racist statements against the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel; particularly their representatives in the parliament.
I. Palestinian Prisoners, Martyrs, and their Families
Im Tirtzu Israeli right wing NGO (Twitter , 7 October)
“ ..a well-established state should currently implement series of deterrent measures against the terrorist and instruct to: – the death penalty for terrorist – demolish his home within 24 hours – deport his nuclear family to Gaza – cancel any allowances if any - confiscate the money transferred to him or to his family from the Palestinian Authority .This is how terror can only be deterred.”
Reserve Colonel Tal Brown in an article published on Channel 7 website on 25 October against the Palestinian family of Abu Hmeid1 whose newly built house was again demolished by Israel in Al-Amari refugee camp
“...there are those who say that nothing good could come out of this family, at least from this mother. The sons follow suit of each other, they are officially and publically encouraged to commit evil deeds...the Palestinian Authority continues to publicly and overtly support this family through paying salaries and large sums of money to re-build the house that was demolished…and make the mother and her sons the symbol of Palestinian national struggle…the government of Israel should deport the families of terrorists to remote locations. Thus, the Palestinian Authority’s decision will be of no value. If we talk about construction, instead of demolishing the homes of terrorists repeatedly, it is preferable to deport their families once and for all, to fully demolish their homes to become needless, and invest the money of the PA for building Jewish settlements in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria [Occupied West Bank] and the Jordan Valley…”
Illegal settlers’ organization Regavim against Abu Hmeid family 2 (Twitter, 24 October)
“Watch: our documentation revealed that the house of the terrorists who killed the soldier is rebuilt…the Israeli army has re-demolished the house…a couple of weeks ago, following an investigation and surveillance which proved that the house has been rebuilt again by PA funds, we located the building in the alleys of Al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah. We hastily sent the documentation to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the IDF, demanding the demolition of the building again…We welcome the re-demolition of the house. We will continue to monitor to ensure that deterrence is maintained and that we do everything we can so that terrorists’ families do not enjoy the fruits of terrorism..”
Ofir Sofer, MK Jewish Home – National Union party, against Palestinian prisoners and their families in the context of criticizing Tamar Zandberg MK Democratic Union party who suggested to evacuate the illegal settlement of “Yitzhar” that is illegally built on lands belonging to Nablus villages (Twitter, 22 October)
“For few votes that Tamar Zandberg receives she is ready to evacuate an entire Jewish settlement whose residents have not committed any crime in the case in question. How come [Zandberg does not speak about] deportation of terrorists’ families who continue to encourage terror…Hypocrisy!”
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Jewish Home – National Union party, in the context of bashing Tamar Zandberg, MK Democratic Union, who criticized him of supporting settlers violence in relation to an incident wherein settlers hurled stones at Israeli soldiers near the illegal settlement of “Yitzhar” south of Nablus city (Twitter, 22 October)
“…. I can see now that Arafat's political arm is in the Knesset who does not miss the opportunity to visit his grave and embrace the murderers that are following his suit. She is asking us to do to the settlers, her brothers, what she is refusing to do to the worst terrorist enemies for years…”
II. President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership
Illegal settlers’ organization Regavim (Twitter, 24 October)
“Hello Israel’s Electric Corporation, it seems the Palestinian Authority has a lot of unnecessary funds to support terror. Therefore, instead of cancelling the debts they own to Israel’s Electric Corporation (and to the citizens of Israel) which amounts to millions of Shekels, perhaps it is time to either collect the money or cut off the electricity.”
Rafael Peretz, Minister of Education and MK Jewish Home- National Union party, against the Palestinian leadership following a news reports by Yediot Ahronot which claimed that “Palestinians deleted agreements signed with Israel from their Educational Textbooks” (Twitter, 7 October)
“And that is the story, while the State of Israel is investing in the Arab society, the Palestinian Authority is calling for a war, they are wiping out the possibility of peace and continuing to pay salaries to terrorists. This is the face of the neighborhood in which we live.”
Benny Gantz, MK Leader of Blue and White Party on news reported by Yediot Ahronot online Newspaper that accused the Palestinian Leadership of deleting agreements signed with Israel from its educational textbooks (Twitter, 7 October)
“If it is true that the agreements signed with Israel were deleted from the Palestinian educational textbooks - first and foremost this would cause damage to the Palestinian youth. The ability to achieve a better future begins with educating future generations for peace, tolerance, coexistence rather than incitement and the glorification of suicide bombers. Deleting the past is a destructive attack against the hope for a better future.”
III. The Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Israel Katz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Intelligence MK Likud (Twitter, 22 October)
“Lieberman's hatred of Netanyahu and the Joint List’s hatred of the state may lead to the establishment of a minority government. The big wonder: how Ya'alon, Handel, Hauser {Blue and White party members} and their friends, who claimed to be the real right - do not issue a formal and clear statement that they will not give a hand to a government that depends on the votes of Hamas and Hezbollah supporters 3.Do they prefer Ayman Odeh rather than Benjamin Netanyahu?"
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Minister of Defense, Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Acting Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services MK Likud (Facebook, 18 October)
“Gantz, lapid and liberman refuse to commit not to form a minority government that would rely on the support of the united Arab list. Leaders and members of the united Arab list have on several occasions expressed their support for terrorism, their admiration for terrorists and refused to condemn attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.”
Ahmed Tibi, one of the main members of the united Arab list, was the former advisor to Yasser Arafat. He refuses to qualify hamas as a terrorist organization and justify the removal of Israeli soldiers by hizbollah. Finally, in a speech delivered at a meeting of the Palestinian authority, he shared his support for the “martyrs ": " the martyr is someone exemplary, he opens the way and traces with his blood the path that leads To freedom and liberation. The Martyr is the symbol of the homeland."
“The President of the Arab list, the president of the Arab list, sees himself as one of the members of the Palestinian fight against Israel and refuses to condemn the attacks on Israeli soldiers…”
Odeh and tibi are the most well-known figures on the united Arab list but by their side are even more radical Mps. There is, for example, Hiba Yazbek, a member of the deputy of the people of the Israel, who expressed condolences following the murder of Samir Kuntar, the terrorist who had smashed the head of 4-Year-old Israeli girl…..How can the state of Israel act against terrorist organizations while its government depends on the voices of tibi, odeh and yazbek?”
“The establishment of a minority government based on the united Arab list is an anti-government measure that would put our security at risk.”
Naftali Bennett, former Israeli Minister of Education MK The New Right party (Twitter, 16 October)
“The dirty trick of forming a minority government that relies on the anti-Zionist Joint List and the abstention of Lieberman’s faction is an immoral idea that would cast a shame upon its perpetrators...”
Ariel Kallner former MK, member of Likud party (Twitter, 16 October)
“Anyone who does not rule out the possibility of forming a government that relies on terror supporters’ list 4 those who deny the Jewish state, while at the same time excludes Jewish parties who are supported by religious Jews, is considered no less than a moral trash…”
Michael Ben Ari leader of Otzma Yehudit party (Twitter, 6 October)
“So why many ‘Israeli Arabs’ voted for the Joint List which denies the existence of the state of Israel and openly supports the terrorists and terrorist organizations that are working to destroy us?”
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Jewish Home – National Union party, against MK Ahmad Al-Tibi (Twitter, 5 October)
“As being the grandson of a holocaust survivor I am committed to do everything... And that means, among other things, to fight the fifth column people like you who are not ready to condemn the Iranian leadership’s effort to destroy the state of Israel. Fifth column which supports those who deny the existence of the State of Israel and seek its annihilation. Forget it, Ahmad never and forever!”
Yoaz Hendel MK Blue and White party (Facebook, 5 October)
“Violence in the Arab society. A moment before we apply the law on the Jordan Valley 5 (and I support) it is worth applying the law on the Arab society, on the Negev and Galilee, on Gaza periphery and basically on every area that the situation there is difficult and complicated. The Arab society is the responsibility of the state of Israel, the government of Israel and the members of the Knesset. The solution must include a joint struggle to integrate, support those who lead the Israelization and wage a war against those who support separatism and the Arab nationalism (unfortunately, part of them are in the Israeli Knesset in the Joint List)….”
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Jewish Home – National Union party, against the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel and their representatives in the Israeli Parliament and blaming them for the spread of high crimes within their community (Twitter, 4 October)
“I think that they have found another opportunity 6 to clash with the state and delegitimize it, which they do not recognize anyhow…The criminal acts in large parts of the Arab society and the denial of the rule of law in the country is stemmed from the denial of the state’s national authority.”
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Jewish Home – National Union party (Twitter, 4 October)
“We were lucky that Arab MKs boycotted the Knesset session yesterday.”
MK Ayman Odeh responded to Smotrich (Twitter, 4 October)
"I'm surprised the racist [Smotrich] didn't take our seats and claimed God told him they are his.”
Smotrich responded to MK Odeh (Twitter, 4 October)
"I was just scared to find an illegal gun under the chair so you could also blame the Knesset guard and not just the Israeli police. And since you brought it up then yes – God did promise us all of the Land of Israel, a promise he kept. We've been just been the most hospitable people in the world since the days of Abraham and so you're still here. At least for now."
Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety MK Jewish Home – National Union party, against MK Aida Touma in a Tweet on 4 October
“When many of your people, who have been doing that for a century will stop wanting to murder us, with your encouragement and the encouragement of your terror supporters friends at the Knesset, then I will happily give up my pistol. It is heavy…till then I promise to keep carrying it close enough so that I won’t give you any chance.”
Gilad Erdan, Minister of Public Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud, in an interview with ‘Radio Jerusalem’ (Mako, 7 October)
“Arab society is unfortunately very, very - and another thousand times very – violent. Instead of filing a lawsuit, they pull a knife or a weapon. The mother can give an approval to the brother to kill his sister, because she is dating a man that the family does not like…”
IV. Additional Examples
Baruch Marzel, an extremist settler member of Otzma Yehudit Party, re-tweeted on 22 October a statement by a leader of the right-wing organization ‘Lehava’ Anat Gofstein that usually incites against mixed marriage between Jewish women and Arab men and works on separating Jewish married women from their Arab husbands.
Baruch Marzel
“It is unfortunate that all the public figures in Israel are turning a blind eye to this [phenomenon].”
Anat Gofstein, a leader of the right-wing organization ‘Lehava’, posted a tweet on 22 October on the same topic:
“It’s common for Arabs to exploit women at risk.. It is well known that transferring the girls into the areas of Palestinian Authority and exploiting them is common as well. But these are 15-year-old girls who are supposed to be staying in a closed institution and they are becoming the prostitutes of the village of Yatta. It is already too dangerous. In addition to sexual exploitation there is also a security threat. Everyone knows and everyone is silent and it is very frustrating.”
Gilad Erdan, Minister of Public Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information MK Likud, against the director of B’Tselem Hagai El-Ad (Twitter, 10 October)
“ We don’t find terrorists with suits. You can find them on your contact list, I suppose. We condemn all types of anti-Semitism (including extreme right) while your organization supports the new anti-Semitism, which is being disguised with "human rights," and its goal is to demonize the Jewish state – which leads to anti-Semitic terrorism. Look in the mirror, Hagai.”
- 1. Latifa Abu Hmeid, Um- Nasser, a mother of a martyr and six prisoners; five are serving life sentences and one is under administrative detention. Um-Nasser lives in Al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah governorate. Her house was demolished by Israel three times, the last demolition took place on 24 October 2019.
- 2. Ibid
- 3. In reference to the Joint List party
- 4. Ibid
- 5. In reference to Netanyahu's announcement to annex the occupied Jordan Valley including the north west part of the Dead Sea
- 6. In reference to the Joint List party