The deputy Religious Affairs minister made a point of clarifying his statement on Twitter in both Hebrew and English.
In a speech to religious high school boys in Efrat, deputy Religious Affairs Minister and Yamina MK Matan Kahana said that the prospect of peace with the Palestinians is weak, unrealistic for the time being and that “If there was a button I could press that would take all the Arabs and put them on a train to Switzerland, I would. A button like that does not exist.”
Kahana explained that because the Palestinian narrative doesn’t acknowledge Jewish historical connections to the land of Israel, it can never bridge its own story with modern Israeli settlement, whether about Tel Aviv (or Al-Shaykh Muwannis) in sovereign Israel or anywhere else.
The MK made a point of clarifying his statement on Twitter in both Hebrew and English.
“Conversing with students yesterday, I referenced that both Jewish and Arab populations aren’t going anywhere,” he wrote. “As such, we must work to live in coexistence. Our coalition is a courageous step towards this goal. Within this larger discussion, a few of my statements were worded poorly.”
“Conversing with tudents yesterday, I referenced that both Jewish and Arab populations aren’t going anywhere.”
Matan Kahana
“Matan Kahana, we are here because this is our homeland. You, and others who think like you, can continue to wallow in your frustrations because we will not disappear!” Ra’am (United Arab List) MK Waleed Taha tweeted shortly after the video, initially reported by KAN, circulated on social media.
Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi, who is notable in the opposition, clapped back: “There is a button that will take you from this government and the Knesset; I’ll press it soon.”
“The Kahanist apple didn’t fall far from the tree… and in this government, they are still talking about Arab-Israeli cooperation,” Fellow Joint List MK Aida Touma-Sliman tweeted.
“This was a terrible statement, it’s a shame it was said,” Strategic Planning Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Yisrael Beytenu MK Eli Avidar tweeted. “Israeli-Arabs are here and they are here to stay. We need to be done with stances like these.”
“No one is leaving, not to Switzerland and not to anywhere else,” tweeted Meretz MK Mossi Raz. “We are staying here together to build a democratic and equal society.”
This is a developing story.