An Israeli lawyer has made a series of inflammatory remarks calling for the killing and expulsion of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza, according to a BBC report published on Saturday.
Yehuda Shimon, speaking to the BBC at the Havat Gilad settlement outpost in the northern occupied West Bank, claimed that the life of one Jewish person was worth “10 million (Palestinians).”
When a BBC reporter described the statement as “racism,” Shimon replied:
“I know, but this is the truth, because God chose us (and) because of this you are jealous.”
Shimon also rejected the international legal consensus that the West Bank is occupied territory, arguing instead that the Bible grants Jews the right to the land.
He criticized the Israeli government and military for what he described as insufficiently forceful responses toward Palestinians.
“The Israeli government and the Israeli army, they like the UN — if Palestinians come and Jewish people come, (they) don’t kill the Palestinians, (they) just separate the people,” he said. “Afterwards, because they don’t kill Palestinians, the Palestinians kill us.”
Shimon further argued that Palestinians should be removed from all territory he considers part of Israel, including Gaza.
“If we don’t wake up and drop them all from this area, from all areas of Israel, even Gaza too, they will come back, and come back (again),” he said.
His comments have drawn attention for advocating collective violence and the forced removal of Palestinians, amid continued tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank.