Israel: Internal security worried about rising rhetoric inciting violence
Benyamin Netanyahu is accused of intimidating supporters of a possible coalition government led by centrist Yair Lapid who would oust him from power.
REUTERS - RONEN ZVULUN
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The head of Israeli internal security, the Shin Bet, warns against violent speech "
which could lead to tragedy
".
A situation that for many recalls the day before the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
This is unheard of in Israel.
The head of the Shin Bet, the internal security service, warns that the rise in incitement to violence and hate speech on social media has reached a more than worrying threshold.
And Nadav Argaman is concerned that this may encourage certain individuals or groups to take violent action against politicians.
This could lead to "
tragedies
", he said.
Politicians, religious and public figures, law enforcement and educators from all walks of life must clearly oppose violence, the Shin Bet leader adds.
Members of the new coalition under close protection
Almost simultaneously, several prominent rabbis are issuing an open letter calling for "
doing everything
" to ensure that the formation of the "
government of change
" proposed by Naftali Bennett and Yaïr Lapid is thwarted.
Only two of them subsequently indicated that violence should be prohibited.
Outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who denies "
any incitement to violence
", says that when threats are directed against his family, no one protests.
► Also to listen: Israel: an unprecedented and heterogeneous anti-Netanyahu coalition
Currently, several members of the new coalition have been placed under close protection.
And whoever should become the leader of the new coalition,
Naftali Bennett
, addresses Netanyahu: he asks him to liberate the country and not to practice the scorched earth policy.
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