President tries to quell civil unrest: ‘Verbal abuse and accusations of treason can lead to murder’

President Isaac Herzog attempts to calm civil unrest and incitement, warning, “Our bitter and cruel enemies celebrate when they hear and see such violence and blind hatred within us.”

He decries violent statements “against families of hostages and bereaved families, against the chief and commanders of the IDF and the security agencies, against women and members of the media, against the judiciary and judges, against ministers and Knesset members and against the incumbent prime minister,” which, he says, have become “commonplace.”

“Verbal abuse is violence in every way and accusations of treason can lead to murder,” he says, in an apparent reference to sentiments heard at anti-government protests around the country regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s involvement in the so-called “submarine affair.”

Last week, a state commission of inquiry into a series of murky deals worth some $2 billion that have been under scrutiny for possible corruption and bribery found that Netanyahu made decisions that endangered national security and harmed Israel’s foreign relations.

“Haven’t we learned anything from our history?!” the president says, referring to incitement that led to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.