Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein should press incitement charges against racist MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) for tearing a New Testament and throwing it in the trash MK Hanna Sweid (Hadash), said Wednesday. “This is hooliganism, bullying and an apocalyptic act of hatred that was baseless and unnecessary,” Sweid told The Jerusalem Post after Ben-Ari destroyed the book which was mailed to all 120 members of the Knesset by a messianic Jewish organization. “This reflects the culture of a man who is dangerous to nations and religions of the world.”
MK Sweid complained to the Knesset Ethics Committee, but said he has no doubt that they will not punish Ben-Ari effectively or remove his parliamentary immunity. He was also skeptical that the Attorney-General’s office would heed his call, though he called Ben-Ari’s actions incitement, and expressed fears that they would encourage the public to raise a hand against Christians. “I hope that Ben-Ari represents a minority, and such incitement won’t continue,” Sweid added. According to Sweid, “Evangelicals support Ben-Ari’s path of occupation and settlements. I hope they will now see who they are dealing with.”
MK Hanna Sweid (under a Palestinian flag) in a peace and anti-occupation demonstration held by Hadash in Tel-Aviv, June 4, 2011 (Photo: Al Ittihad)
Sweid said he was disappointed that there was not more of an outcry, but at the same time is not accusing those who did not speak out against Ben-Ari of supporting such acts. However, the Hadash MK stated, if the public does not stand up against Ben-Ari, he will be encouraged.
On Tuesday, Ben-Ari tore up a copy of the “Book of Testaments,” combining the Bible and New Testament in one volume, sent to all MKs by the Bible Society in Israel, a messianic Judaism institution for research, publication and dissemination of holy books. As for allegations that Christians support the right, Ben-Ari accused the Likud of accepting donations from Evangelicals, and said that he, like his ideological forbearer Kach leader Rabbi Meir Kahane, “would not accept a cent from non-Jews.” Another racist MK, Nissim Ze’ev (Shas), said the New Testaments sent to the Knesset were written by “heretics” – meaning messianic Jews – and as such must be burned. He added that a “Torah written by a female Reform Rabbi should also be incinerated.”
