Israel Recalls Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni After He Slams Smotrich and Ben-Gvir

Ambassador recalled after interview

Israel recalled Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni to Israel on Wednesday after he criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in a Dutch media interview with Algemeen Dagblad. Vapni told Algemeen Dagblad that the ministers' rhetoric was "terrible" and "unacceptable," and he said, "I have no desire to defend them." Vapni also described Jewish settler extremists in the West Bank as "thugs and terrorists" and said he believes they all belong in prison.

No need to defend3 of 4 outlets reported it · not in The Jerusalem Post▾

Vapni defended Israel's conduct in Gaza by saying, "It is not genocide, not ethnic cleansing; it is a brutal war against a brutal terrorist organization." The Foreign Ministry announced that Aviner had been summoned for an immediate inquiry into his statements days after the November 7 interview.

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Quotes fuel diplomatic dispute

Vapni told Algemeen Dagblad that he felt no need to protect Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, saying, "I feel no need whatsoever to protect them." Vapni also said, "They should all go to prison," and he added, "That violence must stop." The Foreign Ministry summoned Vapni back to Israel on Wednesday evening for a meeting to clarify remarks he made in the Dutch newspaper interview criticizing far-right politicians and violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

Vapni told the interviewer that Israel should distance itself from extremists, saying, "There are also people among us whom we would rather not have with us." Vapni pressed on Gaza rejected genocide and ethnic cleansing accusations, telling the interviewer, "This is not genocide or ethnic cleansing, but a brutal war against a brutal terrorist organization."

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Settler violence and Gaza stakes

Vapni distinguished between the broader settler population and those involved in violence, saying, "Not all of them" and adding that there are "300,000 people living in settlements there, including several thousand extremists."

Vapni said the extremists involved in violence are "Jewish hooligans and terrorists" and argued, "These are Jewish hooligans and terrorists, and they should all go to prison."

Vapni acknowledged the impact of images of destruction and suffering in Gaza, saying, "Of course I understand. Those images are terrible," while also insisting, "But on the other hand" this is "what war looks like."

Vapni said Israel had not sought a war in Gaza before the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, adding, "We did not start it. We had no plans to invade Gaza."

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Vapni said he was dissatisfied with the consequences of the fighting but blamed Hamas, saying, "But Hamas was the one that chose to turn the entire Gaza Strip into a launchpad for its rockets."

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