Hendel made the accusation at a National Union Party press conference Thursday night. Specifically, he said that Eyal Arad, Olmert's strategic political advisor, had told a leading Yesha (Judea/Samaria) personality, "The nation hates you [the Jewish public living in Judea and Samaria] as much as it hates the Arabs, and my job is to make sure they hate you even more."
Hendel offered to resign from the Knesset if it turns out Arad did not say that.
Ynet reported Arad's response: "Those words were never said, and as proof, there is no one who is willing to admit that he heard them from me. I therefore expect Hendel to resign, and immediately."
Arad, a former advisor to Binyamin Netanyahu, ran Ariel Sharon's victorious campaigns in 2001 and 2003. In 2004, Arad served in Romania as the strategic advisor in the campaign of the anti-Semitic presidential candidate Corneliu Vadim Tudor, head of the Greater Romania Party. This, despite Romanian Jewish leaders' description of Tudor as an "enemy of the Jews," and the Foreign Ministry's statements at the time that Tudor was "xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic."
The National Union Party press conference was held in the wake of the the police violence at the Amona evacuation/destruction. The party's stance is that a national commission of inquiry must be established to trace the orders and events leading to the brutal police violence that brought about some 200 civilian injuries.
In addition to Hendel, speakers included MKs Effie Eitam and Aryeh Eldad, who were both injured by the police at Amona, and party director-general Nachi Eyal, whose 15-year-old son had to be resuscitated by an ambulance driver after he was beaten by police at Amona.
Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra, despite the host of video clips and other evidence showing that policemen used sadistic violence against peaceful protestors, said Thursday, "The police should be congratulated for carrying out the mission."
Nachi Eyal, whose son awoke from his coma during the course of Wednesday night, said, "I read that a police officer said that they used 'kid gloves.' Kid gloves split a boy's head open and nearly kill him? How is it possible for an Israeli policeman to stand and smash children's skulls? How can such people grow up here in our country?"
"It can't be," Eyal continued, "that we foster a pack of Amstaffs [a breed of dangerous dog] that the moment they are released, they don't stop, leading to dozens of people in the hospital with head wounds. This cannot be allowed to occur in a country like ours."
MK Benny Elon said, "Based on what I saw there, I can say that the fact that no one was killed is a miracle. There must be a public commission of inquiry, which is the minimum we can do to prevent a civil war. The committee must check what briefing the Central Commander gave the special Yassam police, and what instructions the Central Commander received from above."
MK Aryeh Eldad, whose arm was broken by police at Amona said, "One policeman told me that the order was to 'mow their faces down.' The responsibility for the smashed skulls lies with the Central Commander and on Olmert. The rocks that flew in Amona were the rocks of Gush Katif, and the rocks that will fly next time will be those of Amona. This public understands that Olmert is going against them all the way, and they are responding as one who is pushed against the wall with no ability to react."
MK Eitam, who was released from the hospital over 24 hours after suffering a head wound at Amona, said, "If we don't want to deteriorate to civil war, a public commission of inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge must immediately be established."