Dr. Ashrawi on Israeli Minister Neftali Bennett’s recent comments
PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, strongly denounced Israeli minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, Neftali Bennett’s recent statements regarding Palestinian prisoners – ‘If you catch terrorists, you have to simply kill them.’ Bennett also declared that he has ‘killed lots of Arabs’ in his life and that ‘there’s no problem with that.’
Dr. Ashrawi stressed, “It is astounding that Neftali Bennett, an Israel government official and Knesset member, has a complete disregard for due process, human rights, and the value of life.”
“What makes it even more chilling and disturbing is the fact that Bennett believes that it is acceptable to implythat the killing of Palestinians is an ordinary event that Israelis should indulge in with equanimity and undeterred by any moral or legal consideration.”
“Such horrific statements betray a culture of hate and racism, even at the highest executive level, which is the outcome of decades of Israeli military occupation with impunity and the deliberate dehumanization of its Palestinian victims,” concluded Dr. Ashrawi.
PRESS RELEASE
PLO Executive Committee
Department of Culture and Information
August 1, 2013