‘Insanity, unreal’: Netanyahu slammed over deal with anti-pluralistic, homophobic MK - The Times of Israel

The imaginable of a hardline, ultra-conservative, anti-pluralistic, homophobic nationalist being appointed arsenic the adjacent government’s caput of “Jewish identity” was met with staunch rebuke from politicians from the outgoing conjugation connected Sunday, with lawmakers slamming the determination by premier minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu arsenic “insanity,” “racist” and “unreal.”

Avi Maoz, the azygous lawmaker of the fringe Noam party, is 1 of the Knesset’s astir far-right politicians, holding non-pluralist Jewish views and sexist, anti-LGBT and anti-Arab positions.

He volition beryllium appointed arsenic a lawman curate and caput a to-be-created authorization for Jewish identity, which volition beryllium housed nether the Prime Minister’s Office, pursuing an statement signed Sunday with Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu’s Likud lone shared partial details of the agreement, the enactment said that among the organizations to beryllium transferred to Maoz’s authorization is Nativ, which is liable for processing Jewish migration to Israel from the erstwhile Soviet Union.

Maoz has said helium wants to constrain eligibility for Jewish migration to Israel by removing the quality for grandchildren of Jews who are not Jews themselves to suffice nether Israel’s Law of Return.

Many immigrants to Israel from the erstwhile Soviet Union get their citizenship nether the alleged gramps clause, and transferring the bureau that handles their applications to Maoz’s purview whitethorn impact their processing.

Maoz and spiritual governmental allies are besides pushing to carve retired non-Orthodox conversion to Judaism from acceptable proofs of Jewishness for immigration.

His Noam enactment has likened Reform Jews to the Nazis.

Maoz has besides said that helium wants to summation Jewish acquisition successful Israeli nationalist schools and wants to scrap unspecified “progressive survey programs,” including undefined “gender studies.” Maoz has precocious advocated shutting down Pride parades, reinstating “mother” and “father” connected authorities forms successful lieu of the newly-adopted “parent,” and enabling now-banned and debunked cheery conversion therapy.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid, acceptable to beryllium unseated successful the coming days oregon weeks, chastised the quality of Netanyahu’s statement with Maoz arsenic “no little than insanity.”

“With each passing day, it seems similar alternatively than a afloat right-wing government, what is being formed present is simply a afloat bonkers government,” Lapid tweeted.

“This is the antheral who opposes women’s enlistment to the IDF, opposes women successful elder roles, supports conversion therapy for the LGBT, and supports each different backward presumption imaginable,” helium added, addressing Netanyahu supporters: “Is this what you wanted? For this backward nationalist to marque decisions implicit your life? Over your daughters? Over your cheery nephew? Is this however you privation the State of Israel to look?”

Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid enactment said successful a statement: “From present on, according to Netanyahu and Avi Maoz, determination are Class A Jews and Class B Jews.”

Maoz’s Noam enactment ran campaign ads successful beforehand of the November 1 predetermination that said that Arab teachers successful Jewish schools contributed to the erasure of Jewish identity, a presumption condemned arsenic racist by immoderate Jewish lawmakers.

Maoz has pushed to “immediately” close the Israel Defense Forces’ sex affairs portion that promotes women’s spot successful the military. He is against women successful combat positions, has called to unopen down egalitarian supplication astatine Jerusalem’s Western Wall, and supports a spiritual party-backed connection to legalize sex segregation astatine nationalist events.

Maoz campaigned connected strengthening the Orthodox Rabbinate’s monopoly implicit spiritual life, injecting spiritual instrumentality into broader nine and promoting “family values.”

Outgoing Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted Sunday evening: “This isn’t Jewish individuality — this is racist identity.” He vowed to “fight this extremist Netanyahu authorities with each the disposable means.”

Severe disapproval besides came from lawmakers for the secularist right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, which is portion of the outgoing authorities and chiefly represents immigrants from the erstwhile Soviet Union.

“Only idiosyncratic who has nationalist individuality problems with himself needs an authorization for Jewish individuality to beryllium formed for him,” tweeted Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky, portion her workfellow Vladimir Beliak decried handing Maoz power of Nativ arsenic “a nonstop way toward blocking aliyah from the erstwhile Soviet Union, a spit successful the look of each immigrants and applicants from those countries.

“Once, the Soviet leaders prevented Jews from migrating to Israel. Now we person the caller Soviets — Netanyahu and his partners,” Beliak added.

Nachman Shai, the existent Diaspora curate successful the outgoing government, said that forming the caller assemblage for Jewish individuality “cheapens those words and their meaning.”

“Like the feline who got the cream, MK Avi Maoz, soon a lawman minister, volition surface imaginable immigrants from Russia and Ukraine,” helium said. “Unreal.”

The person of Shai’s Labor party, Merav Michaeli, said Israel was facing a “dark age.”

Posting the photograph of Netanyahu and Maoz shaking hands aft reaching the deal, Michaeli wrote: “The premier minister-designate adjacent to a racist, chauvinist homophobe. It’s stomach-turning. We volition combat them successful immoderate mode possible. We won’t let them to plunge Israel into the abyss.”

Labor MK Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi, called the assignment a “slap successful the face” to secular people, traditionalist Jews, women and gays.

“MK Maoz volition find that the bulk of the nationalist volition basal up to his party’s attempts to proselytize and sow hatred,” Kariv tweeted.

The Reform question successful Israel besides came retired powerfully against the conjugation agreement.

“We punctual the presumed caput of the [Jewish identity] authorization that determination is much than 1 mode to beryllium a Jew oregon Jewess. Avi Maoz, who got a occupation with excessive backing from the [presumed] premier minister-elect volition not determine for millions of Jews and Jewesses successful Israel and the Diaspora what those ways are,” the question said successful a statement.

Maoz’s inclusion successful the nascent conjugation was not captious to Netanyahu’s bulk — the Likud person and his allies won 64 seats successful the 120-member Knesset successful this month’s elections. But Netanyahu helped pave Maoz’s way into parliament successful some this year’s and last year‘s elections, by brokering alliances connected the governmental far-right, and plainly has nary reservations astir empowering truthful extremist a person with truthful resonant a relation arsenic caput of a authorities authorization connected Jewish identity, albeit 1 with as-yet unspecified responsibilities.

The conjugation statement with Noam, with the resonant responsibilities and lawman minister’s station for Maoz, was announced conscionable days aft Likud agreed to marque far-right provocateur Itamar Ben Gvir police minister with expanded authorities. It brings Netanyahu 1 measurement person to forming Israel’s astir hardline authorities ever, comprising lone right-wing, far-right, religious, and ultra-Orthodox parties.

The Religious Zionism, United Torah Judaism and Shas parties person yet to motion a woody with Likud.

Carrie Keller-Lynn, Judah Ari Gross, Jacob Magid and Times of Israel unit contributed to this report.