Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan HorowitzNoam Rivkin

Minister of Health and Meretz Chairman Nitzan Horowitz explained this morning (Wednesday) his party's opposition to granting full recognition for fledgling towns in Judea and Samaria, after Meretz MK Mossi Raz proposed transferring children from these localities to foster families.

In an interview with Kann Bet, Horowitz claimed that for him these are illegal towns that should be evacuated. "Meretz and I oppose what is called 'young settlements.' It is a laundered name for illegal outposts that have been pirated and cause serious problems on the ground."

Horowitz added, "People come out of these places, throwing stones and holding pogroms in the evenings. These are unbearable things that need to be addressed."

"I expect the government and the security forces to control the situation on the ground and not allow it. I do not think anyone on the right can justify such violence and rioting," said the Meretz chairman.

The Young Settlements Forum responded to Minister Horowitz's remarks. "We understand that on the morning that another Meretz member resigned amid serious accusations of rape, Minister Horowitz has been forced to engage in spin and wild incitement and blood libel against the pioneering settlers in the young settlement."

"If Nitzan Horowitz has the courage to remove his immunity so we can sue him for the slander he uttered this morning. We call on the prime minister and other members of the coalition parties to stop the wild incitement against us by a coalition party, before they are translated into physical harm to us and our children," the forum said.