A senior member of Bennet’s coalition sparked anger on Tuesday after a recording was released of him saying he wished there was a button he could press to send “by train” all Palestinians to Switzerland. Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana, a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s far-right Yamina party, made the remarks in a speech to religious high school boys in the settlement Efrat on Monday.
Deputy Religious Affairs Minister and former colonel in the occupation army Matan Kahana (Photo: New Right)
In a clip broadcast by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Kahana said: “If there was a button, I could press that would take all the Arabs and put them on a train to Switzerland, I would.” Joint List lawmakers were enraged by Kahana’s recorded racist remarks to in the West Bank settlement. MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash – Joint List), wrote in a tweet: “The Kahanist apple didn’t fall far from the tree… and in this government, they are still talking about Jewish-Arab cooperation.”
Kahana apologized on Tuesday following the publication of the video. “Conversing with students yesterday, I referenced that both Jewish and Arab populations aren’t going anywhere,” said.
