Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Fueling ‘Racist’ Hostility Against Arabs

Gadi Eisenkot sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after the Israeli leader attacked Arab lawmakers in a divisive speech. The comments were made days after Mr.

Netanyahu delivered a divisive speech to the opening session of Parliament, or the Knesset, in which he referred to Arab lawmakers as “terror supporters” and “haters of Israel.” Diplomats and analysts condemned the remarks as a brazen display of hatred and incitement against Arab citizens, who make up about 20 percent of the overall population, and voted in massive numbers in inconclusive elections last month. “Since the beginning of the election campaign, they have been subjected to a racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimization, fueled by the outgoing prime minister and those around him for political purposes,” Mr.

Eisenkot said in a statement on social media. “Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story,” he said, adding that it was wrong to malign an entire community.