NIF says right wing leaders should be held accountable for ‘tolerating incitement’

The New Israel Fund says in a statement that “today in Israel is a day of soul searching. Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum are condemning the violence. And many Israelis are saying that the elegant words that some Israeli leaders posted to Facebook are not enough. One cannot say, year after year, that Israel exists only for its Jewish citizens, or only for the Jewish citizens who comply with a narrow, right-wing interpretation of Zionism, and then be shocked when extremists feel free to express hatred and do violence and innocent children are murdered.”

The NIF continues that “some leaders of the right” have for years “tolerated or personified incitement and exclusion” and need to be held responsible for their rhetoric and their actions.

“This also holds for religious leadership. Rabbinical extremists who use holy texts to justify hatred and violence are even more despicable than their political brethren. Homophobia, misogyny, and the ugliest expressions of prejudice stain some in the ultra-Orthodox leadership and community and must be roundly denounced,” the NIF says.