ICEJ NEWS REPORTS: Facebook group aims to punish voters for supporting Likud
In the wake of the crushing victory by the Likud Party of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and allied parties on the political Right in last week’s elections, many of Israel’s politically Left wing citizens are not only despondent but angry. Several prominent artists have been unashamed to voice their bitter contempt for Israelis who voted for Right wing parties, and a Facebook group entitled Lo Latet (“Do Not Give”) has been set up to discourage Israelis from giving charity money to poor communities. “Residents of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba and the rest of the ‘southern periphery’ – those suffering the most from the rule of Bibi who brought Kassam [rockets], wars, unemployment and a sense of deprivation – they told him yes. Again,” said a statement on the site. “Solidarity is over, or as one politician said: ‘We will no longer apologize.'” Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog has led a chorus of condemnation for such statements, saying he rejects any attempts to divide Israeli society.
