In the United States, and in many other countries, the masses are taking to the streets to protest against racism. In Israel, hatred for the "other" – for Arabs – is flaunted shamelessly and publically, as evident by Bezalel Smotrich's (Yamina) recent remarks about the "troubling" high birthrate among the Bedouin community.
Smotrich defined the issue as a "time-bomb that needs to be defused." Had a similar remark been made toward American or French Jews, the entire government would be up in arms to demand an apology. Were these statements made by a politician about the ultra-Orthodox sector, it would earn them scathing criticism.
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Somrtich's remark about the Bedouins, however, barely made a dent in the news cycle.
Why? Whenever we are tempted to think that prejudice and generalizations of Jews and Arabs are the results of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Smotrich and his ilk remind us of the oppressive perception some Israelis have vis-à-vis other religious or ethnic groups.
Smotrich has a history of making outrageous statements, not only toward Arabs. He headed a "beast parade" against the LGBTQ community, for which he later apologized. Now, as an opposition MK, he can air his racist views.
Let's put the shoe on the other foot: a Jewish man may father as many children as he wants and that is a blessing to this country. But if I, as an Arab, do the same I become a security risk and an existential threat to the Jewish state.
Somtrich and his ilk already want to decide for me who I can vote for and where I can live – some think I should be encouraged to emigrate – and now they think they have to right to weigh in on my intimate life and tell me how many children I can have?
Arab society in general and the Bedouin community in particular are not without their problems. But problems are not solved through finger-pointing and racist comments. Rather than observing Bedouin communities from a nearby hill, Smotrich should have visited them, to see how we can solve the issues of housing, poverty, women's murder, and rising violence together.
Instead, Smotrich chose to incite hatred and further damage the delicate fabric of Jewish-Arab relations in the Negev.
I do not know how many times, if at all, Smotrich, as transportation minister, participated in discussions on the advancement of the Arab sector, or how much he knows about the people against whom he incites.
I have no expectations of him. I was, however, disappointed with two senior politicians who strive to return to national leadership, namely Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett, who said nothing in response to their fellow Yamina MK's remarks.
They are duty-bound to change this racist discourse, to renounce it and to end a political culture where hatred in general, and the hatred of Arabs in particular, are legitimate means for political ends.
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