Following massive criticism over his racist, anti-Arab comments on election day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “apologized” Monday evening, March 23, for labeling high Arab voter turnout as a “threat” and saying Israel’s Arabs were coming out “in droves” to vote. “The rule of the right is in danger,” Netanyahu said at the time. However, the Joint List rejected this apology, calling it “empty words intended to preserve his racist regime. Sadly the racism of Netanyahu and his government did not start with this statement nor, for certain, will it mark its end.”

“Racist and exclusionary legislation are part of Netanyahu’s work plan for the next Knesset, and we therefore have no choice but to reject his apology and continue our struggle for equality for the Arab-Palestinian national minority in Israel,” the Joint List said in a statement.

Speaking to Channel 2, head of the list and General Secretary of Hadash, Ayman Odeh, slammed Netanyahu for not even inviting the party to the event in which he made these comments. “We won the votes of 90 percent of the Arabs who went to the polls in Israel but Netanyahu wants to cherry pick.” Odeh claimed: “This is not a real apology,” adding that Netanyahu “incited against citizens who were exercising their basic right to vote for the Knesset.” Odeh also accused Netanyahu of “zigzagging,” saying one thing one day and something entirely different another day.