Rabbi Beni Lau Slams Religious Zionism Party for 'Demonizing Arabs'

Rabbi Beni Lau has launched a sharp critique against Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the political discourse within the Religious Zionism party. In a pointed Facebook post, Rabbi Lau addressed the party's election advertisements concerning the Negev and Galilee regions, condemning what he perceives as a portrayal of the entire Arab population as an enemy.

"When I saw the election ad from Religious Zionism about the Judaization of the Negev and Galilee, I felt the veil was lifted and the naked truth was spoken without any filters," Rabbi Lau wrote. He described the message as: "Arabs, all without exception, are enemies who must be expelled and eradicated from the land. These are not the Muslim Brotherhood, this is not Hamas, these are Arabs and they all seek to destroy the State of Israel."

Rabbi Lau revealed that ahead of a planned joint webinar with the heads of the Yesha Council and the Benjamin Regional Council, he intended to confront them with difficult questions about the future of sovereignty and relations with the Arab population. "What does Smotrich want? His actions increase hatred of the other, encourage fortified Jewish cohesion, and in practice deny the possibility of shared life for Jews and Arabs," he stated.

Further elaborating, Rabbi Lau addressed recent conversations with right-wing figures who argued that any approach not advocating for all-out war and expulsion is weakness that will lead to further disaster. He responded firmly: "I refuse to accept their doctrine and the doctrine of their political leader Smotrich. I also refuse to accept that anyone who believes in the return to Zion and the right of the Jewish people to live in the land must, with their belief, raise the wall higher."

Concluding his remarks, Rabbi Lau warned of the implications of this approach for the country's future. "The fabric of relations with Israeli Arabs is complex and difficult. I fear that Smotrich and his party are leading us to a long bleeding by increasing hatred and fear of the other. Turning everyone into an enemy will sooner or later ignite the area. I am alarmed by the stupor enveloping the Zionist society on the right, which hears such election propaganda and refuses to wake up."