Netanyahu condemns anti-gov’t activists for attacking Likud MK

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening condemned anti-government activists who assaulted Eli Dellal, a member of the premier’s ruling Likud faction, at a party event.

Netanyahu said he “spoke with MK Eli Dellal and expressed shock at the attack carried out against him at the Likud conference in Kfar Saba,” in a statement issued by his office following the conclusion of the Sabbath.

The prime minister urged the Israel Police “to bring the attackers to justice and warned against the wild incitement against coalition members.

“This incitement is becoming more extreme every day as the rioters who incite discover that the majority of the public is not with them,” Netanyahu said. “If the law enforcement authorities do not put an end to these dangerous phenomena, it will end with blood on their hands.”

Video footage of the incident showed Dellal, 70, being pushed to the ground as he was leaving a pre-Rosh Hashanah toast for Likud lawmakers and ministers earlier on Saturday. A parliamentary aide and a police officer helped him get up, and protesters threw fake money at him as he left.

Ahead of the event, hundreds of left-wing activists gathered outside the venue, with some breaking through security barriers. Police said four were arrested for assaulting officers and disturbing the peace.

Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy told Ynet, “We will not allow harm to the fabric of life of public official,” adding that he ordered a thorough review of security preparations made ahead of the event.

Netanyahu and his government have faced heated rhetoric over the years that has sometimes crossed the line into violent threats, especially during the 2023 judicial reform debate.

Following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of the northwestern Negev, the same group of anti-government activists again began demanding the prime minister’s ouster, this time over his management of the war and the hostages held by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Last year, Cabinet ministers were shown a video of left-wing incitement against Netanyahu. The clip of inflammatory words and threats against the Jewish state’s leader was compiled a day after an assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The compilation, which was also sent to Israeli media outlets, showed protesters and others calling Netanyahu a “traitor,” “Satan” and an “enemy of the people,” among other inflammatory remarks.