JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman came out with a remarkable statement Saturday in which he warned against the growing phenomenon of hate speech on social media and in other public sources which he said could lead groups or individuals to take violent action and harm others.
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“We have recently identified a serious rise and radicalization in violent and inciteful discourse, specifically on social media,” Argaman said.
“This discourse may be interpreted among certain groups or individuals as one that allows violent and illegal activity and could even lead to harm to individuals,” he added.
Argaman added that politicians, public opinion leaders, religious figures and educators across the political spectrum must speak out clearly against violence:
“It is our duty to come out with a clear and decisive call for an immediate cessation of the inciting and violent discourse. The responsibility for restraining the discourse rests on the shoulders of all of us.”
Left-wing commentators said that Argaman’s statement demonstrated that the present situation was reminiscent of the public atmosphere prior to the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. However right-wing and religious leaders were quick to condemn Argaman’s statement, claiming that the last year and a half had seen unprecedented incitement against Prime Minister Netanyahu and other leaders without the Shin Bet warning of any danger.
Yinon Magal, a right-wing supporter of Netanyahu, wrote that “its a pity the Shin Bet did not anticipate the nationalistic uprising of Israeli Arabs which did in the end cost human lives.”
MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (religious Zionism) brought an example of the incitement against him on social media, in which he is depicted as a would-be assassin:
Ben-Gvir added: “For the information of Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman, the writing is on the wall but apparently right-wing people do not interest you.”
Chareidi journalists also criticized the Shin Bet head for publishing his call against incitement during Shabbat. Hamodia military correspondent A. Pe’er wrote that “this is an important announcement but it is difficult to understand why the Shin Bet could not wait to publicize it until the end of Shabbat, causing unnecessary Shabbos desecration.” Hamevaser also published a protest against the Shabbos desecration of Argaman, stating that “there was no urgency or danger to life warranting such an announcement on Shabbos.”
Rabbi Chaim Druckman, a leading Religious Zionist rabbi, responded to claims that a letter by rabbis calling to “do everything possible so that this government will not be established” could be construed as incitement and may have been the catalyst for the Shin Bet statement.
“In a democracy one can express things in writing, just as one can demonstrate for months next to the residence of the prime minister,” Rabbi Druckman wrote. “There is no incitement here and nobody could imagine that there is any kind of violence hinted. In a democratic way it is possible to do all that is possible to prevent the establishment of this government.”