The Hadash and Ta'al Arab Arab political parties are "terrorists in suits," said Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday.
Shaked made the statement in a comment on a video released by the two Arab parties as part of their election campaign.
"When we see the riots and clashes in east Jerusalem and then this anti-Israel video, everything comes together. Hadash and Ta'al are terrorists in suits who incite Israeli Arabs against the government and against the state. They have no place in the Israeli Knesset," she tweeted.
Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman tweeted in response: "Says the one who smiles at fascism."
What is the video that Hadash-Ta'al made about?
The video that the two parties made, which is in Arabic, slammed Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Shaked and other Israeli officials.
כשאנחנו רואים את המהומות והעימותים במזרח ירושלים ואז את הסרטון האנטי ישראלי הזה, הכל מתחבר.חד"ש ותע"ל הם מחבלים בחליפות שמסיתים את ערביי ישראל נגד הממשלה ונגד המדינה. אין להם מקום בכנסת ישראל. https://t.co/mxRXGNTVtb
— איילת שקד Ayelet Shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) October 13, 2022
"Lapid and his accomplices are murderers and dancing on blood. As they failed in Gaza, they will fail in Shuafat," the video said.
The two parties together are estimated to earn about 4 mandates in the next election, according to a recent Channel 12 poll.
Will the video cause a lawsuit?
Later, Shaked announced that she submitted a letter of warning against Hadash and Ta'al "for incitement and defamation." As part of the letter, Shaked demanded that the video be removed from any media to which it was uploaded.
"If the post is not removed, there will be a libel lawsuit for defamatory publication, a compensation of about NIS 100,000 and even a criminal lawsuit in light of the incitement offense."