Yariv Oppenheimer, a left-wing activist and candidate on the Democrats slate, says he would center his parliamentary work on what he calls “settler terror,” outposts, crime in Israel’s Arab community and racism against Arabs. In an interview with the Arab-Israeli channel Hala TV, the former head of Peace Now outlined the issues he plans to pursue if elected to the Knesset.
Oppenheimer said one of his main goals is to fight “the terror of the settlers,” including cutting off funding, stopping what he described as leading inciters and “central settlers” involved in a network of violence, and evacuating wildcat outposts from which groups operate to commit crimes against Palestinians. “This is a matter close to my heart,” he said.
He also said he wants to address problems affecting Arab citizens of Israel, including crime, budget distribution and public discourse. He said he hopes to become relevant to Arab voters, who, in his words, see him as “an unofficial representative.” He added that “the Jewish public in Israel has become more nationalist, more religious and much more racist, and it comes from above.”
Oppenheimer also attacked public advocate Yosef Haddad, accusing him of incitement and racist language toward Arabs, and criticized the comedy show Eretz Nehederet for helping make Haddad a prominent public figure. On politics, he said the main problem in the Knesset lies with Likud, Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist Party, which he said poison public discourse by using racist terms and portraying opponents as terrorists or enemies.
Turning to regional issues, Oppenheimer said an emerging U.S.-Iran agreement shows the limits of military power and argued that agreements are the way to end wars. He said Iran would emerge stronger, Israel weaker, and Israel’s ability to confront Iran would be reduced. On Lebanon, he claimed the IDF’s presence in southern Lebanon prevents stability, saying it has occupied a large area and displaced nearly one million Lebanese. He said there will be no calm as long as the army remains there and destroys villages, and argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a withdrawal before elections because it would look like surrender if Israeli troops leave without an agreement or Hezbollah disarmament.
