Leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party MK Itamar Ben-Gvir has no regrets about his past involvement with the outlawed Kach movement, but no longer holds the same views, he tells Israel Hayom.
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Ben-Gvir is trying to present a more moderate image and distance himself from the youngster who ran afoul of the law after waving around the symbol of slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's vehicle.
Kach founder Rabbi Meir Kahane did some "very good things to help the Jewish people," Ben-Gvir says, such as "defending the Jews of the Soviet Union."
However, the MK says he no longer identifies with Kahane's generalizations about "all Arabs."
"People like [Arab MKs] Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, Walid Taha – I think they should be sent to Syria. But not all the Arabs, [just] those who are against the state of Israel, who support the annihilation of Israel, should be deported," he says.
Q: What is your attitude about Arab Israelis?
"There are many Arabs who contribute to Israel and are loyal to it. They should be accepted and embraced. But the ones who throw Molotov cocktails [at Jews], who throw rocks – can we keep them in the country? My solution is zero tolerance. Israel has become a paradise for terrorists. You only need to look at the prison conditions for terrorists."
Q: And how do you view people who hold left-wing opinions – should they always be outside the coalition? Does Meretz not have a right to exist in the Knesset?
"The Zionist Left are my brothers."
Q: In an article to the Haredi newspaper Yeted Neeman, United Torah Judaism leader Moshe Gafni attacks you. What do you think about that?
"The haredi wheelers and dealers are under pressure because of me. Yeted Neeman and the people who run it are taking aim at their own. Maybe they're afraid that if we get a lot of votes, we'll block their option of forming a government with Benny Gantz."
Q: Do you trust Gafni not to team up with Gantz?
"I pray to God that Gafni will carry out the will of his voters. The last thing they want is for him to go with Gantz. If you ask me, I reject a government with Gantz, it would be a left-wing government."
Q: Do you trust him? Yair Lapid was invited to his granddaughter's wedding, and you weren't there.
"I was invited, but I couldn't go. Unfortunately, Gafni is far apart from where his voters are. I'm always hearing about Gantz and Lapid from UTJ. I wouldn't invite Lapid to a family wedding. We need to hear more from them [UTJ] about a right-wing bloc."
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