Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling criticism from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby over the far-right Otzma Yehudit party's merger with Habayit Hayehudi-National Union "hypocrisy."
In a post on his Facebook page, Netanyahu slammed what he called the Left's "double moral standards."
"They criticize an alliance on the Right with right-wing parties while the Left is working to bring radical Islamists into the Knesset to set up its own alliance," the prime minister wrote.
Netanyahu wrote that in 1999, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak had taken part in an election conference with leaders of Labor and Meretz, head of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement (which has since been outlawed) Sheikh Raed Salah, and Azmi Bishara, who is accused of spying for Hezbollah, was voted into the Knesset.
Netanyahu also wrote that former Labor party leader Isaac Herzog advocated a surplus votes agreement with the Joint Arab List and said that the Arab MKs were legitimate representatives in the government.
"A merger with right-wing parties is unacceptable but working to bring in inciters and spies is legitimate. That's the height of absurdity," Netanyahu wrote.
AIPAC tweeted a message of support for a statement issued by another U.S. Jewish organization, the American Jewish Committee, which on Thursday called the views of Otzma Yehudit "reprehensible."
"The AJC does not normally comment on political parties and candidates during an election. But with the announcement that Otzma Yehudit, a new political party formed by longtime followers of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, is now seeking election to the Knesset, we feel compelled to speak out," the AJC statement reads.
"The views of Otzma Yehudit … do not reflect the core values that are at the very foundation of the State of Israel. … Historically, the views of extremist parties, reflecting the extreme Left or the extreme Right, have been firmly rejected by mainstream parties, even if the electoral process of Israel's robust democracy has enabled their presence," the AJC said.
"AJC reaffirms our commitment to Israel's democratic and Jewish character," the statement concluded.
AIPAC retweeted the statement and added, "We agree with the AJC. AIPAC has a longstanding policy not to meet with members of this racist and reprehensible party."
Otzma Yehudit said in response to the AIPAC message: "We call on members of AIPAC to do what is necessary and go home before they interfere with the election. When they come here [to Israel], they can be partners in the fateful, existential decisions of the people in Zion, and we will be happy for them to make decisions with the rest of the citizens of Israel. … AIPAC screams hypocrisy."
Leader of the center-left Blue and White list Benny Gantz said that the "unusual response by AIPAC" proved that "Benjamin Netanyahu had again crossed ethical boundaries to protect his position."
Gantz's co-leader, Yair Lapid, said, "As is usual with Netanyahu, politics comes before Israel."
Meanwhile, Lapid, Moshe Ya'alon, and Labor party leader Avi Gabbay have been invited to the annual AIPAC conference, scheduled to take place in Washington in March, where Netanyahu is slated to appear as keynote speaker. Gantz has not received any official invitation to speak.
