
Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for the designation of the right-wing organizations La Familia and Lehava as terrorist organizations during the weekly Blue and White faction meeting Monday.
"The State of Israel maintained its sovereignty and the security of its citizens on Jerusalem Day, along with maintaining the status quo and freedom of worship. We did this in the face of extremist Muslim terrorists and rioters, some of whom even desecrated the sanctity of the Temple Mount and threw stones from the Mosque," he said, "They need to be condemned, denounced, and stopped."
"At the same time, I heard sickening chants from a handful of instigators among the Jewish public as well. We will continue to prosecute the instigators and perpetrators of violence everywhere.
“As defense minister, I believe that the time has come to consider terrorist organization designations for groups like La Familia and Lehava. I know that the subject has been brought up to security organizations and I trust the heads of the organization to make that consideration in the cleanest and best way possible,” he said,
Turning to the coalition's ongoing crisis, he said: "The solution to the disputes in the coalition is not to attack each other but to reach solutions for the citizens of Israel who deserve a functioning government. As defense minister, I listen to everyone's voices before making decisions, while maintaining our security interests. The ministers should do so, because if we want to continue to serve the citizens of Israel, it is all for one, and one for all."
Earlier, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also condemned the La Familia and Lehava organizations. "The Flag March passed in peace and the government did not succumb to the threats of terrorism. At the same time, the march was tainted by the racist chants of La Familia and Lehava. These people are not patriots, they are mere thugs."
''Instead of a day of joy, they try to turn it into a day of hatred. Jerusalem deserves more. Israeli society deserves more. The Israeli flag is not theirs. "They cannot rob us of Zionism and the love of the land," Lapid added.