Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "We are witnessing a flood of explicit threats of murder and violence against the Prime Minister and members of his family, and against ministers and public officials." Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks, at the start of the Government meeting today (Sunday, 14 July 2024), regarding the attempted assassination of former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs showed ministers a video of a collection of calls to incitement against the Prime Minister, to which the ministers asked to comment. The Cabinet Secretary announced that next Sunday the Government will hold a discussion with the participation of the heads of the law enforcement establishment where they will be called on to present the relevant overall data on enforcement actions that have been carried out both by the opening of police investigations, and trials for the offenses of incitement to murder public officials in general and the Prime Minister in particular. Prime Minister Netanyahu following the ministers' comments [translated from Hebrew]: "We are witnessing a flood of explicit threats of murder and violence against the Prime Minister and members of his family, and against ministers and public officials. These are not just flagrant criminal offenses, they constitute a direct and explicit threat to democracy. But basically, apart from a few small exceptions, nothing tangible has been done. I turn to the Attorney General and the State Attorney – this is your job. Basically, against this flood, nothing tangible has been done. Even as we saw under the previous government, and even before then, when there was shameful legal affair on the other side, the arrest of a mother and children, on Shabbat. A letter, which we all condemned, to Prime Minister Bennett – arrest and imprisonment. But it is impossible to make any comparison to this massive flood of explicit threats, which are criminal offenses, that have been met by inaction and by something else – the silence of senior figures. We have not heard condemnations. Condemnations must also be made. But the senior figures do not open their mouths; neither do they condemn. What there is here is the legitimization of attacking democracy and there is the normalization of political murder here, and everyone feels that there is arbitrary enforcement here. Because we have seen that in the face of much fewer offenses, if there were such, against right-wing elements, settlers, the ultra-orthodox and Ethiopians – the full force of the law is used, with the severest interpretation of the clauses that were invoked in the arrest of 14- or 15-year old girls, against the minor blocking of roads compared to what is happening today, the full weight of the law is used. This did not happen gradually. That is not true. I do not accept it. It happened when we returned to power and then it happened in great strength. It started with the demonstrations on Balfour Street in Jerusalem, to the demonstrations against the Attorney General at that time in Petah Tikva, the negotiations on the reform and now demonstrations during the war. Each time the subject changes but it is directed against the right – and the enforcement is not equal. It is not equal and it is not changing gradually, it is changing sharply. Of course this is gathering strength because they are constantly testing the boundaries. Then everything is permitted. It is permitted to place grenades, torches, and violently attack the police. It is permitted to block highways with fire. It is permitted, it is permitted, it is permitted. Attacks on democracy are being normalized here. Political murder is being normalized here. We will deal with this next week. The incident that occurred in the US, many said the writing was on the wall. We are seeing the writing on the wall. We are seeing the writing in the squares. We are seeing the writing on social media. We all see it. The ministers here at the Government table are saying unanimously: 'This must be genuinely and equally addressed.' As of now, this has not yet happened."
