Netanyahu's racism angers actresses and models in Israel.
In the pre-election period, tensions are running high in Israel. With legislative elections scheduled for April 9th, the most recent – and highly visible – demonstration of this was the disapproval expressed by models and actresses, such as the star of "Wonder Woman," Gal Gadot, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he declared that the state is not for everyone.
247, with EFE - In the lead-up to the elections, tensions are running high in Israel. With legislative elections scheduled for April 9th, the most recent – and highly visible – demonstration of this was the disapproval expressed by models and actresses, such as the star of "Wonder Woman," Gal Gadot, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he declared that the state is not for everyone.
The controversy was sparked by the response that Rotem Sela, a popular model, actress, and TV presenter, gave on her Instagram to statements by the Minister of Culture, Miri Regev, of Likud (Netanyahu's party), who warned about possible political alliances with "the Arabs."
"What's wrong with the Arabs? There are Arabs in this country too. When will someone in this government finally tell people that Israel is a country for everyone and that we are all born equal? Arabs, for God's sake, are human beings too," she said.
Netanyahu took the opportunity to clarify his position and replied: "Dear Rotem, an important correction: Israel is not a state of all citizens. According to the Basic Law that we approved, Israel is a nation-state of the Jewish people and only of the Jewish people."
Shortly after, Gal Gadot joined the debate and reminded everyone of the commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
"It's not a matter of right or left, Jew or Arab, secular or religious. It's a matter of dialogue, dialogue for peace, for security, and for tolerance towards one another," continued the actress, who also said that Sela "is an inspiration to everyone."
Approximately 20% of the Israeli population is Arab with Israeli nationality; many are Palestinians who remained within Israel's borders after its creation in 1948, and their descendants. This group considers itself discriminated against, and the more extremist sectors of Israel view them as a threat to the country's Jewish identity.
The third to join the discussion was actress Maya Dagan, who also supported Sela on Instagram.
"She's not brave. She's normal. She's sensible. She's a citizen who cares, who loves our country, like me and everyone who lives here. This fear of not being able to express her opinion is illogical. I join you. I reaffirm what you said. Congratulations, Rotem. I'm proud of you," she wrote.
According to the newspaper "Haaretz," model Shlomit Malka continued with a Facebook post condemning the criticism of Sela. She emphasized that "decency comes before the Torah" (the sacred book of Judaism).
The American progressive Jewish organization J Street also condemned the words of the Israeli head of government, stating it was "alarmed by the growing campaign of incitement against Arab citizens of Israel now being carried out by Prime Minister Netanyahu and other right-wing Israeli politicians," and criticized what it considers "shameful and racist" rhetoric that "endangers Arab-Israelis and fundamentally Israel's commitment to democracy."
In light of the controversy, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin condemned what he described as "an unacceptable speech about the Arab citizens of Israel" in a speech at the Hebrew University on the 12th, according to the newspaper "Maariv".
"There are no first-class citizens, there are no second-class voters. We are all equal in the voting booth, Jews and Arabs," the president emphasized.