Meretz MK Yair Golan sparked controversy Thursday when during an interview on the Knesset Channel, he called settlers living in the northern Samarian hills outpost of Homesh "subhuman."
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"These people keep resettling a place that has been legally evicted … they shouldn't be there," Golan, a former deputy IDF chief of staff who serves as deputy economy minister, said.
"Let's not even mention the fact that the people who live there riot in [the nearby Palestinian village of] Burka, demolish headstones and stage pogroms," he continued.
"We, the Jewish people, who have been tormented by pogroms throughout history – do the same to others? These are not people, they are subhuman, despicable people. A disgrace to the Jewish people. They should receive no [government] backing. We should forcibly remove them from the area and restore law and order."
Golan's remarks garnered immediate backlash from politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the residents of Judea and Samaria were the modern-day pioneers.
"Yair Golan's remarks about the settlers in Homesh are appalling, generalizing and bordering on a blood libel. The settlers in Judea and Samaria are today's pioneers," he tweeted.
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Golan, saying, "The settlers in Judea and Samaria are not 'subhumans' rather pioneering Zionists who settle our ancestral land
"After this shameful statement, taken directly from Nazi terminology against the Jewish people, Bennett must fire Yair Golan."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked called Golan's remarks "disgraceful," adding that "he can keep talking. These wonderful pioneers will continue to settle the land."
Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper said he was "ashamed" by the statements made by Golan, a coalition member.
"The settlers in Homesh are not 'subhuman' rather Israeli citizens who hold different views with which he profoundly disagrees. Sinking to this level of discourse won't advance dialogue – it will only tear us apart from the inside."
Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Shlomo Ne'eman said, "It looks like the deputy minister, who is well versed in history, has become hysterical. His hysteria stems from the success of the communities in Judea and Samaria.
"He should remember the dark times when the terms coming out of his mouth were directed against the Jewish People. We will continue to succeed in working towards pioneering in the Land of Israel."
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