Israeli Minister wishes he could “press a button” to send Arabs away “on a train”
“Our coalition is a courageous step towards this goal. Within this larger discussion, a few of my statements were worded poorly.”
Jerusalem24– Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana said in a leaked video that he would “take all the Arabs and put them on a train to Switzerland” if there was “a button” to do so.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan aired the video yesterday, which shows Kahana speaking to students at the Derech Avot High School in Efrat.
Kahana says, “A button like that does not exist. Apparently, we were destined to exist here [together] on this land in some form.”
Kahana is a part of the nationalist Yamina party, which shares seats in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s current government’s coalition along with the United Arab List.
Shortly following the release of the video, and after receiving backlash for his statements, Kahana wrote in a tweet: “Conversing [with] students yesterday, I referenced that both Jewish and Arab populations aren’t going anywhere. As such, we must work to live in coexistence.”
“Our coalition is a courageous step towards this goal. Within this larger discussion, a few of my statements were poorly worded.”
בשיחה שקיימתי אמש עם תלמידים חזרתי על ההבנה המובנת מאליה שלא אנחנו ולא הערבים הולכים לשום מקום ולכן צריך למצוא דרך לחיות כאן ביחד.
הממשלה הנוכחית היא צעד חשוב בכיוון הזה.
בשטף דבריי היתה גם בחירת מילים לא מוצלחת.
פירוט טוב יותר של הרעיון שעמד מאחוריהם תוכלו למצוא בתגובה הראשונה— Matan Kahana מתן כהנא (@MatanKahana) June 14, 2022
