NEW YORK – After Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the Palestinian town of Huwara should be “wiped out” by Israel, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors in North America, called for his visa to the U.S. to be revoked in advance of his planned March 12-14 trip to Washington. Smotrich’s comment comes just days after a pogrom was carried out in Huwara by Israeli settlers.
In a statement, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“In light of Bezalel Smotrich’s recent statement that Huwara should be ‘wiped out’ by the State of Israel, T’ruah calls for the visa for his upcoming trip to the United States to be revoked on the basis of his incitement and endorsement of terror. Not only does his comment add to the pain of families and community members harmed by the violence in Huwara, it also adds to the increasing incitement from members of Netanyahu’s new far-right, extremist government. Smotrich’s partial retraction, in which he calls for a ‘heavy price’ to be exacted on ‘supporters of terror’ in the village does nothing to calm the situation, and in fact endorses war crimes. The Book of Proverbs teaches us that ‘death and life are in the hand of the tongue’ – that violent words lead quickly to violent actions.
“Smotrich’s comments are even more dangerous now that Israel’s de jure annexation of the West Bank has made him effectively the governor of the territory, with broad oversight over most areas of civil administration. We thank the U.S. State Department for its strong condemnation of Smotrich’s statement, and call on all members of the Biden administration to decline any meetings with him if he is permitted to enter the country. We also call on all American Jewish organizations to condemn Smotrich’s words and refuse to engage with him and his allies.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.