On Wednesday, the United States, Israel’s closest friend, urged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reject a call for the eradication of a Palestinian community made by his hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Images from Tel Aviv, seen for the first time in years, when police used stun guns and fought with Israeli protestors on a major route during a national “day of disruption” against plans to reform the court, added pressure on the Israeli leader.
In the midst of a wave of deadly Palestinian attacks and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich, the leader of a pro-settler party in Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition, made the remarks on Wednesday at a conference.
Asked about a weekend settler rampage through the Palestinian village of Huwara, which an Israeli commander on Tuesday termed as a “pogrom,” Smotrich said: “I think that Huwara ought to be wiped”.
“I believe that the state of Israel needs to do it, but God forbid not individual people,” Smotrich continued.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, termed the remarks “repugnant,” “disgusting,” and “irresponsible,” telling reporters: “We call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to openly and clearly reject and denounce these views.”
Palestinian officials praised the State Department’s response.
Washington’s uncharacteristically direct response highlighted the growing worldwide concern over the violence escalating in the West Bank, where three Israelis and a Palestinian were killed in two days of carnage earlier this week.
Wednesday was still a violent day. In the West Bank, Israeli troops detained six people while killing one Palestinian.
Also, 10 persons were detained by Israeli police on suspicion of taking part in the settler shooting spree that occurred through Huwara on Sunday after a suspected Palestinian shooter shot two Israeli brothers as they were sitting in their car.
Several homes and vehicles were set on fire in what one Israeli officer called a “pogrom,” resulting in one Palestinian death and numerous injuries. A day later, an Israeli-American was fatally murdered while driving on a Jordan Valley highway.
Elan Ganeles was being laid to rest when Israeli forces surrounded a home in the nearby refugee camp of Aqabat Jabr, detained six Palestinians they believed were involved in the assassination, and also killed another man.
Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, criticized the Huwara rampage and stated that people shouldn’t impose their own laws amid worldwide alarm and appeals for calm.
Smotrich’s remarks highlighted the discrepancy between the calls for de-escalation made by the international community and the impulses of the majority of Netanyahu’s right-wing administration, which have called for harder action against Palestinians.
Smotrich released a statement after making the Huwara remarks claiming the media had misconstrued him, but he did not revoke his support for the eradication of the community.
“I spoke about how Huwara is a hostile village that has turned into a terrorist outpost,” Smotrich said, adding that it was against the law to enforce one’s own laws.
Smotrich continued, “I endorse a disproportionate response to any act of terrorism by the (Israeli military) and the security forces, including the deportation of the relatives of the terrorists.
Foreign mediators have worked to reduce tensions that have risen following a spate of deadly Palestinian street attacks and deadly Israeli military incursions, which have occurred just weeks before the Jewish Passover festival and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, respectively.
Major General Yehuda Fuchs, who oversees the Israeli military in the region, stated earlier on Wednesday that his forces had anticipated attempts at settler retaliation but had been taken aback by the severity of the violence, which he claimed was committed by dozens of people.
He declared late on Tuesday that the Huwara event was a pogrom carried out by outlaws.
He continued, “Collective punishment doesn’t assist combat terrorism; in fact, it might even cause terrorism.
A pogrom is a mob assault on a religious, racial, or national minority that is frequently sanctioned by the authorities. Typically, the phrase refers to assaults on Jews that took place in the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
When Netanyahu joined his coalition with other party leaders two months ago, he pledged to limit the Supreme Court’s power to overturn laws or rule against the executive and to firmly establish Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, where Palestinians want to found their own independent state.
Weeks have passed since the protests began. Although the revision has not yet become legislation, it has already had an impact on the shekel. The anticipated revisions, according to businesses and experts, could hurt Israel as a location for investments.
