An Israeli leader criticized Jewish 'settler violence.' Now he has 24/7 protection after extremist t

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

An Israeli leader criticized Jewish ‘settler violence.’ Now he has 24/7 protection after extremist threats.

By Amy Cheng
Today at 3:39 a.m. EST

Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said Monday that he will receive round-the-clock protection following threats of harm from extremist Israeli Jews.

The news comes amid a sharp increase in attacks targeting Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, which Barlev had criticized in recent discussions with a visiting U.S. State Department official. His remarks drew the ire of right-wing politicians in the country, including members of the coalition government in which he serves.

“Jews are stabbed and shot in the streets, because they are Jews, on your shift, and you dare to talk about settler violence?” Simcha Rothman, an ultraconservative Israeli lawmaker, tweeted in response to Barlev this month.

Israeli authorities also arrested a man accused of threatening Barlev on Facebook by saying that he hoped to see the minister “lynched,” according to the Times of Israel newspaper. At least one other senior official has also reportedly received increased protection as the coalition government pushes ahead with changes that threaten privileges long enjoyed by Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/28/israel-omer-barlev-threats-jewish-extremist/