Israeli President's 'Beastliness' Speech Sparks Political Firestorm
President Herzog condemns vigilante violence and urges ethical standards, drawing fierce backlash from Minister Ben-Gvir and sparking a ministerial protest walkout.
A fierce political firestorm erupted in Israel on Sunday following A sharp remarks by President Isaac Herzog, who fiercely condemned lawlessness and vigilante violence, drawing a furious backlash from far right coalition members who called for his impeachment.
Speaking at the Jerusalem Prize for Israeli Unity ceremony, Herzog used uncharacteristically harsh language to criticize recent disruptions, characterizing them as a threat to the fabric of Israeli society.
"We are witnessing a horrific wave of violence carried out by an anarchistic mob, acts that defile and deviate from every basic moral, legal, or Jewish norm," Herzog said. "We must not tolerate the beastliness emerging from the fringes of society and threatening us all. Our nation is a magnificent one, with immense strengths, but we must establish red lines. I stand here and say clearly: unity begins with humanity."
The president also directly addressed the treatment of detainees and harm directed at minorities, emphasizing the need to maintain ethical standards even during times of war.
"Even in the most just of all wars, we are compelled to preserve the divine image within us," Herzog added. "It is forbidden to abuse detainees, despicable as they may be; it is forbidden to take the law into one's own hands; and it is forbidden to harm members of other religions and their symbols."
The remarks triggered an immediate and volatile reaction from the Otzma Yehudit party. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed Herzog’s terminology and declared that the head of state was no longer fit for office.
"A state president who calls hundreds of thousands of citizens of the State of Israel 'beasts' is unfit to be president. Period," Ben-Gvir said in an official statement.
The tension spilled over into the live event itself. Yitzhak Wasserlauf, the Minister for the Development of the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience, who was attending the ceremony, abruptly walked out of the hall in protest during the president's Speech.
