Provisional Knesset Results Show Eight MPs With Records of Advocating Punitive Measures

Eight politicians are on the verge of joining Israel’s next parliament with public records showing they have advocated for punitive measures against Palestinians. Provisional election results confirm that these candidates will enter or return to the Knesset. Their past statements and actions cover a wide range of positions, including demands for resource cut-offs and opposition to Palestinian statehood.

One candidate, Hanamel Dorfman, who served as Ben Gvir’s chief of staff, is linked to the extremist Jewish settler movement. According to a 2013 quote from Haaretz, Dorfman stated at age 17 that his only issue with the Nazis was being on the losing side. Video from his 2013 wedding shows him dancing with knives to songs calling for attacks on Palestinians. Yitzhak Wasserlauf, another incoming member of Jewish Power, cited Psalm 137 to motivate soldiers. This biblical passage includes lines about smashing infants against rocks, a reference reported by Jewish News.

Settler Tzvika Mor of the Religious Zionism, Zehut party has pushed for collective punishment. In an October radio interview, he called for cutting electricity and water to Palestinian villages that resist occupation. He also demanded the expulsion of families and the seizure of their property. Itamar Eitam, a reserve lieutenant colonel from the same party, rejected the distinction between combatants and civilians in Gaza. In a July 2024 interview, Eitam described Palestinians as evil and dismissed the idea that they sought peaceful lives and education.

Yonatan Shalev of the Together party defended denying Palestinians a state during a term of service in Gaza. He told The Jerusalem Post that Prime Minister Bennett would not cede Israeli territory, stating, “We’re not going to pass Israeli territory to anyone.” Yulia Malinovsky of Yisrael Beiteinu joined activists on October 22 who blocked aid trucks heading to Gaza. She used the blockade for election campaigning and criticized the government for delivering food instead of starving the population, according to her public statements.

Matan Kahana of the Yashar party made a comment in June 2022 about pressing a button to remove Arabs and send them to Switzerland. The remark referred to Arabs generally rather than specifically to Palestinians in Gaza. Merav Ben-Ari of the Together party blamed Palestinian children for their own suffering during a parliamentary debate in October 2023. A UN inquiry later cited her remarks while examining rhetoric targeting children in Gaza. These eight figures represent a diverse cross-section of the new legislative body.

The incoming members span several political parties, including Jewish Power, Religious Zionism, Zehut, Together, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Yashar. Their backgrounds include military service, settler leadership, and activist roles. The records cited here rely on past interviews, parliamentary debates, and media reports. The provisional nature of the results means the final composition of the Knesset may shift slightly, but these eight candidates are currently on track to take their seats.