'Heil Kahane': Former Meretz leader likens Ben-Gvir to a Nazi

In a now-deleted tweet, Zehava Galon shared a photo of the Otzma Yehudit chairman with his right arm raised in the air.

 L: Former Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On, R: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (photo credit: FLASH90, YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
L: Former Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On, R: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
(photo credit: FLASH90, YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Former Meretz leader Zehava Galon caused controversy on Wednesday morning after tweeting a photo of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with his right hand in the air with the caption "Heil Kahane."

The photo in the now-deleted tweet was taken from a Tuesday night press conference convened by the minister and Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai.

The Otzma Yehudit chairman didn't take the insult lightly, responding in kind via his own Twitter account.

"The daughter of Holocaust survivor parents cheapens and wounds the memory of six million martyrs," he wrote. "Zehava, what would your mother and father say about this?"

 Former Meretz leader Zehava Galon caused outrage when she compared National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to a Nazi. (credit: TWITTER SCREENSHOT)
Former Meretz leader Zehava Galon caused outrage when she compared National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to a Nazi. (credit: TWITTER SCREENSHOT)

Other coalition MKs and ministers joined the voices condemning the former Meretz leader's words, including Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar (Likud) who was quick to condemn her, writing: "This is nothing less than serious incitement and pure racism. Zehava, do us all a favor and delete this disgrace."

"Blasphemy of the Holocaust"

In a conversation with 103FM later in the day on Wednesday, Ben-Gvir once again condemned Galon's comparison between his party and the Nazi Party.

"I'm still waiting for the headlines smeared with red ink, a red line has been crossed, incitement, all kinds of things," he said.

"If [Otzma Yehudit MKs] Zvika Fogel or Almog Cohen did something like this, would you say 'it was deleted, everything is fine?' You would discuss it from morning till night.

"This is not an insult to Itamar Ben-Gbir, that is a small story here, the story is six million Jews who were murdered, massacred, and Zahava Galon making blasphemy of the Holocaust. This is the story here."

Less than an hour after tweeting the incendiary image, Galon deleted the tweet and followed it up with a second statement.

"I have erased the tweet," she wrote. "I am still waiting for racism to be erased from the Knesset."