National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir Condemns Mansour Abbas Over Negev Home Demolitions Dispute

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded sharply to Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, regarding the scale of illegal home demolitions in the Negev. In a video statement, Ben-Gvir said, "Racism is disgusting. Listen carefully and tell all your friends: whoever builds illegally, the house will be demolished." This came after Abbas criticized the current right-wing coalition government in a Knesset speech delivered in Arabic, accusing it of failures including violence, killings, and widespread demolitions.

Abbas contrasted the current government with the previous "change government," in which Ra'am was a significant partner that advanced solutions for the Arab community. He claimed that during that government's tenure, violence and crime dropped by 15% within one year and suggested that if the government had completed a full four-year term, the number of fatalities could have been reduced to around forty or fewer. Abbas also stated that only four inhabited homes were demolished in the Negev under the previous government, while Ben-Gvir boasts of 5,700 demolitions in the past year.

Additionally, Abbas criticized the Hadash-Ta'al faction within the Joint List, asserting that Ra'am was willing to take responsibility and pay the political price, unlike others who failed to understand their responsibilities. He questioned what the public gained from the previous government and what was lost with its fall and the continuation of the current administration.