Tibi: Netanyahu inciting to kill us

Odeh asks Knesset for bodyguard

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements attacking the Joint List are dangerous and could lead to the murder of one of the party’s leaders, Joint List faction chairman Ahmad Tibi told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

Joint List leader Ayman Odeh formally requested bodyguards from the Knesset on Sunday after receiving numerous threats. Tibi said he, too, has been receiving dozens of threats and that while he is not afraid, he is taking precautions.

“Bibi has crossed all redlines,” Tibi said. “He won’t stop targeting us for assassination until one of us is harmed by an extremist. Netanyahu already incited against a prime minister, and we saw what happened to him. Netanyahu is an expert at incitement and lies against minorities.”

Tibi called upon President Reuven Rivlin and Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit to take a stance against incitement. He said Netanyahu’s tough talk intensified over the weekend when the prime minister accused Blue and White leader Benny Gantz of finalizing a deal with the Joint List.

Gantz “is no longer hiding his intentions to form a government with terror supporters such as Ahmad Tibi and his friends,” Netanyahu said in a Facebook post on Saturday. “A minority government that is dependent on the Arab parties is an existential threat to the State of Israel.”

Tibi confirmed weeks of

contacts with Blue and White, but no real negotiations and no offer to join the government. He said he does not expect anything to advance until Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman announces his future plans, which Liberman said would only happen on Tuesday.

Gantz’s mandate ends on Wednesday night. After that, a minority government cannot be formed.

“We will decide on our own when a proposal comes,” Tibi said. “We want to stay together and decide, all 13 of us, but that is not the only option. We are ready to do a lot to remove Netanyahu.”

In a formal statement earlier on Sunday, the Joint List said: “Netanyahu has crossed all redlines in wild incitement against the Joint List. The Arab sector and its representatives are as legitimate as any other sector. Anyone who believes in democratic values must oppose this witch hunt.”

•