{"id":458039,"date":"2026-05-24T19:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/458039\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T19:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:13:12","slug":"herzog-slams-brutish-settler-violence-appears-to-pan-ben-gvir-over-prisoner-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/458039\/","title":{"rendered":"Herzog slams ‘brutish’ settler violence, appears to pan Ben Gvir over prisoner abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Isaac Herzog on Sunday sharply condemned Israeli settler violence in the West Bank as \u201cbrutishness\u201d carried out by an \u201canarchist mob,\u201d while appearing to take a shot at far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over the treatment of prisoners in Israeli custody.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are witnesses to a wave of terrible violence that is being carried out by an anarchist mob,\u201d Herzog said in a speech at a ceremony granting the Jerusalem Unity Prize, describing the near-daily acts of violence by Jewish extremists as \u201cacts that defile and violate every basic moral, legal, and Jewish norm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are elements on the fringes of our society that have normalized violence, and, sadly, some go even further \u2014 celebrating it and taking pride in it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not tolerate this brutishness that comes from the margins of society and threatens us all,\u201d Herzog continued, lamenting that Israeli security forces in the West Bank often spend<\/a> \u201cmost of their time\u201d dealing with Jewish extremist violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur people are a magnificent people, with tremendous strengths, but we must draw red lines,\u201d he said. \u201cI stand here and say it out loud: Unity begins with humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are exposed to degrading and ugly behavior by extremists against Christians and Muslims living among us,\u201d Herzog added, saying it is as if \u201cbasic morality\u201d and Jewish commandments \u201cmean nothing to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

*\u05d7\u05d3\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05e1\u05e7\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9\u05dd*
\u05d4\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05d2: \u05f4\u05d0\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05e2\u05dc\u05dc \u05d1\u05e2\u05e6\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd, \u05e0\u05ea\u05e2\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05db\u05dc \u05e9\u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5. \u05d0\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e7\u05d7\u05ea \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7 \u05dc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd\u05f4. \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05db\u05d9 \u05f4\u05ea\u05d4\u05dc\u05d9\u05da \u05e9\u05dc \u05d4\u05ea\u05d1\u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05db\u05e0\u05e1 \u05dc\u05de\u05d9\u05d9\u05e0\u05e1\u05d8\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u05f4. \u05d1\u05df \u05d2\u05d1\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d2\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4, \u05f4\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d0 \u05dc\u05de\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05dc\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d6\u05e8\u05d7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05ea, \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d0\u05f4. \u05e6\u05e4\u05d5 ????<\/p>\n

\u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u05ea \u05e1\u05d2\u05dc pic.twitter.com\/1NZ8T7AkZs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u05d7\u05d3\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05e1\u05e7\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9\u05dd. (@Haskupim) May 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not take the law into our own hands. We must not harm members of other religions and their symbols,\u201d he said, presumably referring to the recent incidents of desecration of Christian symbols in Lebanon and the assault of a nun in Jerusalem.\n<\/p>\n

Herzog also stressed that it must be \u201cforbidden to abuse prisoners\u201d no matter how terrible their crimes, saying: \u201cWe are exposed to barbaric acts by a handful of people who think that detainees, those under investigation, or suspects have no human rights whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those comments were widely interpreted as referring to Ben Gvir\u2019s video of himself tormenting activists detained from the Global Summit Flotilla, which sparked a diplomatic incident<\/a> and warranted a rare rebuke of the far-right minister by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials, alongside a torrent of international opprobrium.<\/p>\n

Ben Gvir, who has authority over the Israel Prison Service and its policies, has also repeatedly boasted of the harsh conditions he has imposed on Palestinian detainees and prisoners, alongside reports of systematic abuse, deprivation, and neglect<\/a> in Israeli prisons and detention facilities.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tNational Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab\/Ben Gvir\u2019s X account)<\/p>\n

Responding to the speech, Ben Gvir called for Herzog\u2019s ouster, writing on X: \u201cA president who calls hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens brutes is not fit to be president. Full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fellow Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer also slammed Herzog for the speech, posting on social media that \u201ccalling Israeli citizens \u2018brutes\u2019 is not only crossing a red line, but spitting in the face of millions of Israelis.\u201d<\/p>\n


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