Netanyahu pans ‘outrageous’ slight against Likud voters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday condemned remarks by an Israeli actor likening Likud party voters to “cud-chewing cattle,” and asserted that hotly debated issues pertaining to Israel’s arts and culture scene were about state funding, not censorship.

Oded Kotler’s remarks also drew condemnations from Culture Minister Miri Regev, whose policy statements were among the catalysts of the recent debate on the limits of state-funded artistic expression, and Zionist Union party leader Isaac Herzog.

“The statements made last night against a large and dear population in Israel are outrageous and worthy of condemnation,” Netanyahu said at a Likud faction meeting. “We are a democracy that cares about human rights as well as freedom of expression. The law clearly defends freedom of expression, and anyone has the right to say what they feel and create as they feel. But there is no preordained right to receive public funding, and I suggest we maintain the distinction between these two things.”

During an emergency cultural meeting in Jaffa Sunday night, Kotler had evoked recent “anti-democratic measures” taken by Regev and Education Minister Naftali Bennett relating to members of the artistic community.

“Imagine your world is quiet — without books, without music, without poems, a world where no one disturbs you and no one stops the nation from celebrating the 30 [Knesset] seats that are followed by a herd of straw- and cud-chewing cattle,” Kotler said to the crowd of artists, many of whom broke out in applause.

In weighing in on Kotler’s characterization a day later, Herzog said he wished he had been present at the meeting to boo the actor for his “ugly words” and to speak out against those who applauded it. Herzog, the leader of the opposition, also compared Kotler to Regev, and denounced the newly appointed minister’s “dangerous threats” of “censorship.”

“There is no difference between the unnecessary comments by Kotler to the dangerous threats by Regev against culture and the arts. Miri Regev is culture minister and she needn’t keep using the tools she learned and implemented when she served as chief [Israel Defense Forces] censor,” Herzog said, referring to one of Regev’s roles during her extended military career. “There is no reason for any artist to be threatened with a funding cut or other penalties simply because they expressed their opinion in a democratic state.”

The opposition leader added that, in order to sway Israelis to vote for the Zionist Union, the party must disavow figures who deride right-wing voters. He was alluding to Kotler and other artists associated with the left who created similar firestorms with derisive comments about Likud voters in recent months.

“We will never be able to convince anyone that the path we walk is the right one, if we do not rejoice in the multicultural nature of this country, an Israel with many colors, opinions, customs and systems of belief,” Herzog continued. “We will never be able to touch the hearts of those people whose support we are seeking in elections if we speak with derision, mockery, and condescension.”

The furor over freedom of artistic expression in Israeli society began last week when Regev published a post on Facebook threatening to withdraw state support from a Jewish-Arab children’s theater in Jaffa after its founder, the Arab Israeli actor Norman Issa, said he would not perform in the West Bank. Regev later backed down from her threat after Issa reportedly reversed his decision to boycott West Bank performances.

Bennett, the education minister, last week also ordered his ministry to prevent the al-Midan Theater in Haifa from staging the play A Parallel Time, which was inspired by the life of a Palestinian man who kidnapped, tortured and killed an IDF soldier, before Israeli students.

Speaking in the Knesset plenum Monday, Regev raised the issue again.

“Mr. Kotler, are the 61 members of Knesset sitting here cattle or goats and sheep in your eyes? And the dozens of artists who applauded you, as per your imagery — are they no more than cud- and straw-chewers? Do you consider this a cultural discussion?” she asked, referring to the 61 parliamentarians in the governing coalition.

Regev also sparred with fellow Likud minister Gila Gamliel over the issue, with the latter calling the culture minister “populist.”

After Netanyahu criticized Kotler at the opening of the faction meeting, Gamliel attacked Regev for her statements. Regev then told Gamliel: “Okay, we heard you. You deal with your ministry, and I’ll deal with mine. You don’t know the details.” Gamliel, the senior citizens minister, replied: “Don’t threaten me,” later calling out to Regev: “You’re a populist!”

After finding himself knee-deep in criticism over his description, Kotler on Monday rushed to clarify that in speaking of cattle, he was referring to society as a whole and not to supporters of the right wing.

In an interview with Army Radio, Kotler said his intention was misunderstood and he was merely lamenting the notion of a society in which art is restricted.

His clarification came after politicians and fellow members of the arts community raked Kotler over the coals for his comment.

“I retract any intention to hurt anyone among the voters to the right, the left, the middle and the north,” Kotler said. “That is not what I meant; I meant only one thing, to create a society in which there is free art and not a herd [mentality]. I said things yesterday that weren’t clear enough.”

Kotler said his comments had been spurred by Regev’s demonizing of the left wing. Critics have accused the Likud minister of planning to throttle the arts by cutting funding for those whose politics she disagrees with.

“The herd includes me. I am also an animal,” Kotler told Army Radio. “I didn’t mean a particular style or a certain kind of citizen, I meant all of us. You mustn’t forget, the things I said [that made me] the new enemy of the people came in response to the things said by Culture Minister Regev.”