Scandalous call for ‘ethnic cleansing’ from Israeli minister

Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, one of the partners in the government coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called for ethnic cleansing in the region by supporting mass attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the city of Huwwara, south of Nablus, on February 26.

According to Haaretz, Smotrich was asked why he “liked” a Twitter post by David Ben Zion, the local Israeli official on illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, calling for Huvvara to be “destroyed today”, and replied:

“Because I believe that the city of Huvvara should be wiped off the face of the earth. I think the State of Israel should do this. This, God forbid, should not be done by the hand of the citizen”.

CALL FOR “DISPECTIVE” INTERVENTION AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS

In addition to the Finance Ministry, Smotrich, who is also Deputy Minister of the “Civil Affairs Administration” responsible for illegal settlements, issued a written statement after his racist statements were reflected in the Israeli press.

“Once again, the media is trying to distort my words,” the statement said. This time, Smotrich called for “disproportionate violence” against the Palestinians.

Smotrich used the following statements:

“I said that I support the disproportionate response of the Israeli military and security forces to every act of terrorism. Until the terrorists and their sympathizers understand, the closing of the shops in the area for every stone that is thrown; the arrest and deportation of terrorist families for every Molotov cocktail; A siege and bitter price must be paid for every terrorist cell.”

ATTACKS AUTHORIZED BY THE ISRAEL ARMY AS “POGROM”

On the other hand, one of the highest-ranking generals in the Israeli army described the attacks in Huwwara, in which Jewish settlers set fire to Palestinian homes, businesses and vehicles, as a “pogrom” (massacre against a minority group).

Major General Yehuda Fuchs, head of the Israeli Army’s Central Command, told Israeli TV channel 12: “The incident in Huwwara was a pogrom.” he used his statements.

Noting that the military predicted that settlers would likely attack Palestinians in the West Bank following a shooting that killed two Israelis, Fuchs said they “did not foresee such a pogrom.”

SETTLEMENT ATTACKS ON HUVWAR

The incursion of Israeli forces into Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank, from various points on February 22 gave rise to a series of events that once again escalated the tension.

Surrounding a house in the historic Old City of Nablus, Israeli soldiers fired live bullets at Palestinians protesting the raid, killing 11 Palestinians, including a child and two elderly people, and wounding more than 100 Palestinians, including 6. serious.

After the bloody attack in Nablus, two Jewish settlers were killed in an armed attack in the town of Huwwara on February 26.

After the incident, hundreds of fanatical Jews came to Huwwara under the supervision of the Israeli army and staged massive revenge attacks against the Palestinians.

Settlers burned dozens of houses, workplaces and cars in the city, injured some Palestinians while trying to lynch them, and killed one person.

While the attacks provoked a strong reaction from some quarters in Israel as well as the international community, a group of Israeli lawyers filed a criminal complaint against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who supported the attacks, and some far-right lawmakers, alleging that “encouraged war crimes”.

22 international Israeli legal experts, in their petition submitted to Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on February 28, claimed that statements made by Finance Minister Smotrich, far-right MPs Zvi Fogel and Limor Son Har- Melech during and after the attacks “inciting settlers to commit war crimes.” (AA)