BREAKING NEWS

Netanyahu warns against anti-haredi incitement

DECEMBER 28, 2011 21:50

The public must not generalize and allow extremists to represent entire segments of society, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset on Wednesday.

Netanyahu addressed two recent, controversial issues – "price tag" attacks and haredi discrimination against women – in his speech responding to a Kadima-initiated discussion in the Knesset plenum on "The Netanyahu government's failures."

The prime minister called for Israelis to united around these topics, about which there is a "wide consensus in the nation."

"If we're united, we can better deal with challenges that threaten us," he said. "We can also take on threats from marginal groups in society."

Referring to an incident that occurred this week, in which a haredi man spat on a seven-year-old girl walking to school in Bet Shemesh, Netanyahu said that the State of Israel cannot accept spitting on people for any reason.

Anyone who harasses women or anyone else must be stopped, he added, explaining that as a western, liberal democracy, Israel's public space is open to all.

At the same time, the prime minister said, most haredim abide the law, and haredi leaders, including rabbis, MKs and ministers, condemned the recent incidents.

"We must not generalize," Netanyahu stated. "To include [all haredim] in the violence of a marginal, law-breaking group would be irresponsible."

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