Druze leader, cabinet minister trade versions over ‘apartheid’ accusation

A Druze leader on Friday vociferously denied that he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of turning Israel into an “apartheid state” during a meeting the day before. However, other participants insisted he definitely did, and said that’s what caused the prime minister to walk out.

On Thursday, Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting with Druze leaders seeking to find a solution to the controversial nation-state law, amid protests over the refusal to include any mention of equality for minorities in the recently passed law, which enshrines Israel’s character as a Jewish state.

Following the meeting, some participants said IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal As’ad accused Netanyahu of turning Israel into an “apartheid” state and called the law “evil and racist.”

But As’ad on Friday told Hadashot news he said no such thing, implying Netanyahu was looking for an excuse to end the meeting.

“I certainly did not say the word apartheid and I certainly didn’t say Israel is an apartheid state,” As’ad told Hadashot news, claiming that after he challenged Netanyahu in the meeting over the law, Netanyahu brought up a recent Facebook post of his.

“I wrote a post 10 days ago in which I wrote that if that law is realized Israel is on the path to apartheid, and I’m not the only one saying that,” he said.  He also insisted that he had not crashed the meeting, contrary to some accounts.

As’ad said he was not interested in confrontation with Netanyahu and was a true Israeli patriot who had fought for the country, been wounded in battle and had lost a brother and other relatives in Israel’s wars. He called for unity and equality.

He urged Druze to come to Tel Aviv on Saturday and take part in the protest planned for Saturday evening against the law. “Tomorrow’s demonstration is for the state of Israel, not against it,” As’ad said.

But Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who was in the meeting, disputed his account.

“I heard with my own ears the outrageous statement that Israel is an apartheid state,” said Levin.

Hadashot news presenter Dana Weiss said that from her own investigations it appeared that As’ad had definitely made the remarks attributed to him, but she allowed that “he may not remember.”

Levin also accused left-wing groups of fomenting the Druze protest, directly saying what Netanyahu had only hinted at earlier.

“Saying Israel is an apartheid state is the adoption of the false narrative of the Joint (Arab) List and the New Israel Fund, a narrative that most of the Druze distance themselves from,” Levin said.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu  posted an article to his official Facebook page that claimed left-wing organizations were funding the Druze-led opposition to the controversial nation-state law.

The article, published by right-wing news site Mida, claimed the New Israel Fund was among the organizations sponsoring the Saturday mass rally by the Druze in Tel Aviv against the law, which has been criticized as discriminatory toward the country’s non-Jewish communities.

Mida claimed the Druze-led initiative was spreading “baseless claims” that the legislation would sanction the discrimination of non-Jewish minorities and downgrade the official status Arabic language.

The law does downgrade the Arabic language from official to “special” standing, but also cryptically stipulates that “this clause does not harm the status given to the Arabic language before this law came into effect.”

“The nation-state law does not infringe on the rights of Druze citizens in the country, and does not differentiate between Druze and Jewish citizens,” the Mida article said.

The article claimed the newly established Forum Against the Nation-state Law, that is organizing Saturday’s rally, is sponsored by Anu, an Israeli civil rights group that is funded by UNESCO, the New Israel Fund and other left-leaning organizations in Israel.

Netanyahu has repeatedly leveled harsh criticism against the NIF in the past, accusing the group of being hostile to Israel and funding various anti-Zionist activities and groups. Most recently, he accused the group of convincing the Rwandan government to backtrack on an agreement to resettle illegal African migrants deported from Israel. He did not provide any evidence the NIF was responsible for scuttling the deal.

In response Friday, NIF president Mikey Gitzin slammed Mida as a site “that is based on lies and is a tool for Netanyahu.” He said that while the NIF has shared a platform with Anu in the past, and both organizations support the Druze campaign against the law, it did not prove they were financing the campaign.

Anu also issued a statement Friday denying it was funding Saturday’s protest.

Also on Thursday, the law’s original sponsor, Likud MK Avi Dichter, faced the community’s rage at a ceremony to honor Druze veterans at a college in the northern town of Carmiel. Amir Khnifess, head of the Forum Against the Nation-state Law burst into the auditorium and shouted at Dichter that he was “racist” and “Nazi” during his remarks.

Hadashot news reported Friday that in the wake of the attack, the Knesset has decided to significantly step up security for Dichter.