Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Fueling ‘Racist’ Hostility Against Arabs

Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief who is trying to form the next Israeli government, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of fueling a “racist” campaign against the country’s Arab citizens, in some of the strongest public criticism of his rival’s attacks on the community.

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.

“The attempt to marginalize them and vilify them collectively is a profound violation of the principles of statesmanship,” Mr. Eisenkot said. “It dishonors Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the values we take pride in as a Jewish and democratic state.”

The Declaration of Independence says all citizens have equal social and political rights “irrespective of religion, race or sex.”