National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir lashed out at American supermodel Bella Hadid after she posted an Instagram story condemning the far-right minister's claim that his right to freedom of movement is "more important" than the freedom of movement of Arabs.
Speaking to N12 on the government's failure to fight the wave of terror across the West Bank, Ben-Gvir claimed that "my right, the right of my wife, of my children to move around on the roads in the West Bank is more important than the right to freedom of movement of the Arabs - this is the reality, this is the truth.
"My right to life precedes [their] right to freedom of movement," he said.
"My right, my wife's, my children's, to roam the roads of Judea and Samaria - more important than the right of movement of the Arabs." Israel's far-right, fascist Minister of National "Security" Ben-Gvir sums up Israeli apartheid in one sentence.#SanctionsOnApartheid pic.twitter.com/mDih5IeqvA
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) August 24, 2023
Bella Hadid attacks Ben-Gvir: 'Pure hatred'
Hadid, who has Palestinian family through her father Mohamed, wrote on Instagram that "in no place, no time, especially in 2023 should one's life be more valuable than another.
"Especially simply because of their ethnicity, culture or pure hatred," the model wrote in a story including a video of Ben-Gvir's comments shared by Israeli left-wing group B'Tselem.
Ben-Gvir: I will not apologize for my words
Ben-Gvir responded on Friday morning, calling Hadid an "Israel hater."
"I see you took a small cut of my interview and spread it to the world with the intention of making me appear racist and evil," he wrote.
Ben-Gvir also invited Hadid to Kiryat Arba, where he resides, "to see how we live here, everyday Jews who have never done any wrong are being murdered, the threats my wife, children, and I get on a daily basis."
The national security minister then doubled down on his statement, despite suggesting earlier in the tweet that it was taken out of context, saying "yes, the right of me and my fellow Jews to travel and return home safely on the roads of Judea and Samaria outweighs the right of terrorists."
לשונאת ישראל בלה חדיד, בוקר טוב.ראיתי שלקחת אתמול קטע שלי מתוך ראיון, והפצת אותו לכל העולם במטרה להוציא אותי גזען וחשוך.אני מזמין אותך אליי לקרית ארבע, לראות איך אנחנו חיים פה, איך כל יום נרצחים פה יהודים שלא עשו שום דבר רע לאיש בחייהם, איזה איומים אני אשתי והילדים מקבלים יום… pic.twitter.com/hbKizSuCCf
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) August 25, 2023
"I will not apologize and I will not take my words back. I will say them a thousand more times," he added. "Am Israel Chai."