The just-announced formation of a new government in Israel is not a cause for celebration. For those who might think new
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett must be an improvement after 12 years of appalling racism from Benjamin Netanyahu
– think again!
Netanyahu was infamous for statements of race-hatred such as:
· “The way to deal with Palestinians is to beat them up. Not once but repeatedly, beat them up so it hurts so badly,
until its unbearable”“Palestinians are an existential threat to Israel”“Israeli is not a state for all its citizens” (ie he’s right – it’s an apartheid state – Palestinians are second-class
citizens)
(If anyone isn’t sure just how racist these statements are – replace the word “Palestinians” with the word “Jews” and
read them again!)
Bennett is from Yamina, a party to the right of Netanyahu, and like Netanyahu he is a fully matured racist, he does not
support even a two-state solution for Palestinians and his political party sees Palestinians – all Palestinians – as the
enemy.
Bennett is on record as advocating the murder of Palestinians taken prisoner. The former Israeli Defence Force officer
says: “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life and there’s no problem with that”
The number two on Yamina’s party list, Ayelet Shaked, has called for genocide of Palestinians. She posted on Facebook
saying “the entire Palestinian people is the enemy” and justifies its destruction, “including its elderly and its women,
its cities and its villages, its property and its infrastructure.” She calls for the slaughter of Palestinian mothers
who give birth to “little snakes.”
A day after Shaked’s facebook post, Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khudair was kidnapped and burned alive by six
Israeli Jewish youths.
So you understand just how awful this woman is - here is a recent Ayelet Shaked election campaign video. It is not a spoof – it’s her actual election video.
In any self-respecting country Bennett and Shaked would be in prison for inciting race hatred and violence against
Palestinians – but no – they are leading the new government.
Bennett’s election should signal to our government that Palestinians will never gain human rights without serious
accountabilities (sanctions) put in place against Israel after 73 years of racism, apartheid and unbridled brutality
against Palestinians.