The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned today racist calls by extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to honor the killers of Palestinian martyr Qusai Ma'tan, 19, and to award them a medal and provide them with immunity. Mi'tan was shot dead in cold blood on Friday evening by a group of Israeli settler terrorist who stormed his hometown village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, firing indiscriminately at local Palestinian civilian residents. Ben-Gvir tweeted, "My policy is clear. Anyone who defends himself from stone throwers should receive a medal. I expect the police chief Uzi Levy to advance the investigation quickly and conduct a comprehensive investigation also of all the Arab rioters who threw stones and tried to murder Jews." In response, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement that Ben-Gvir's remarks 'are another call to encourage terrorist settlers to commit more pogroms against Palestinian citizens and to escape punishment later under the pretext of "self-defense." The Foreign Ministry affirmed that Ben-Gvir's remarks are evidence of the hard-right Israeli government's endorsement and support of settler terrorism, and confirm the extent of racial discrimination committed by the Israeli occupation authorities in the West Bank. 'The Israeli government is applying two laws in the West Bank: one of which is applied against the Palestinian citizens, who can be arrested for no apparent reason, while the law provides protection for terrorist settlers and their ideas of incitement to murder,' said the Foreign Ministry.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA