Responding to pressure from the left-wing Meretz party to declare the anti-assimilation organization Lehava a terrorist entity, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said that although he considers its activities to be extremely serious, he is not in any rush to comply with Meretz’s wishes.
“Declaring an organization to be a terrorist entity will only be done following a written and reasoned request from the head of the Shabak [intelligence agency], or from any other security agency via the Shabak, and with the opinion of the Shabak head appended to it, as well as the authorization of the Attorney-General,” Gantz replied to Meretz.
“As such, only once the request has been made by one of the security agencies and has been approved by the Attorney-General, will it be brought to my attention as Defense Minister in order to be given the appropriate attention.”
Gantz added that it was not within the limits of his authority to declare any organization a terrorist entity, “and that is the way it should be, as such significant powers should only be accorded to security experts and should not be held by members of the political echelon.”
At the conclusion of his letter, Gantz noted that, “I regard the activities of the Lehava organization with gravity, and have in the past brought them to the attention of security officials. Nonetheless, I do not intend to intervene in the expert procedures of the security authorities.”
Responding to Gantz’s remarks, Lehava head Bentzi Gopstein said, “A Defense Minister who met with Holocaust denier Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] has the audacity to state that he views Lehava’s activities with gravity. Let Gantz know that the fight against assimilation is what has protected us throughout the years. Instead of helping us, he has decided to help our enemies. If he really wants to know what Lehava does, we will be more than happy to visit him in Rosh Haayin and show him the vital work we are doing.”
Also responding to Gantz’s letter was Meretz MK Mossi Raz, who said, “The Defense Minister also views Lehava’s activities with the utmost gravity and has brought them to the attention of security agencies. However, in contrast to the way in which he relates to Palestinian organizations, he is not in any rush to declare Lehava a terrorist entity. If he delays doing so while a certain Knesset member, who supports terrorism, sends people out to attack Arabs, and accepts that same Knesset member drawing a gun, then he might find that next time, that gun could end up being fired.”