Joint List Blames PM for Death Threats

The Joint Arab List has accused Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ of inciting death threats against its members and asked for police protection.

“In recent days Netanyahu has crossed every line with his dangerous and wild incitement. He is spreading lies and claiming our Knesset members are terror supporters. The Arab community and its representatives are legitimate like every community,” the party said in a statement.

“We appeal to President Reuven Rivlin and the attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, to take a stance against incitement, which has led to dozens of death threats against our members,” the statement added.

The statement came amid repeated warnings issued by PM Netanyahu in recent days that a Blue and White-led coalition dependent on Arab party support would be “dangerous” for the country.

“He [Benny Gantz] is no longer hiding his intentions to form a government with terror supporters such as Ahmed Tibi and his friends,” Netanyahu said in an online post over the weekend. “A minority government that is dependent on the Arab parties is an existential threat to the State of Israel.”

“Bibi has crossed all redlines,” JAL MK Tibi told The Jerusalem Post. “He won’t stop targeting us for assassination until one of us is harmed by an extremist. Netanyahu already incited against a prime minister, and we saw what happened to him. Netanyahu is an expert at incitement and lies against minorities.”

Netanyahu has denied that he took part in or condoned incitement leading up to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.

JAL leader, Ayman Odeh, and Tibi formally requested bodyguards from the Knesset on Sunday in the wake of various death threats. But the request was reportedly denied.