Ben Gvir Defends Demolitions Amid Racism Claims from Abbas

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has addressed claims made by Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas regarding the demolition of illegal homes in the Negev. In a video statement, Ben Gvir asserted, "Racism is a lie. Listen carefully, and tell all your friends: anyone who builds illegally—their house will be demolished." This response comes after Abbas delivered a speech in Arabic from the Knesset, where he criticized the current coalition's performance, stating that its primary achievement has been maintaining unity to complete its term in office.

Abbas characterized the right-wing government's record as one of "failure, crimes, murder, demolitions, and wars," contrasting it with the previous "government of change," during which Ra'am was a significant coalition partner. He claimed that under the previous administration, violence and crime had decreased by 15% in a single year, suggesting that had it completed its full term, fatalities could have been reduced to as low as forty.

Abbas highlighted that only four occupied homes were demolished during the previous government, while Ben Gvir has reportedly overseen 5,700 demolition operations in the past year. He also criticized the Joint List parties, Hadash and Ta'al, for not recognizing their responsibilities, questioning what the public has gained from the current government's continuation and what has been lost since the previous coalition's collapse.