Calling Palestinians 'Animals,' Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Vows Retribution After Shooting Attack

Calling Palestinians 'Animals,' Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Vows Retribution After Shooting Attack

Source: Haaretz, 10.10.2016

'We lived in false hope that if we would help them they would change their animal behavior,' says Meir Turgeman. Jerusalem mayor says remarks don't reflect municipal policy.

The deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Meir Turgeman, who is chairman of the planning and building board, said Monday he would “punish” the residents of East Jerusalem because of Sunday’s terror attack that left two people dead.

“We have reached the moment of truth,” he said in an interview on Radio Jerusalem. “Let’s put all the cards on the table. The people in East Jerusalem want to kill us and destroy us. Why do we need to give them a new chance every day?”

“Each time we lived in false hope that these people, if we would help them, would change their animal behavior, but it turns out that nothing helps,” he said. “Why do people need to die in Jerusalem? Where is it written, and who said it? We have to take responsibility here. And I am going to give an example. I took all the construction plans related to East Jerusalem off the agenda. I shelved all of the plans. They say carrots and sticks. There are no carrots left, only sticks.”

As chairman of the local building and planning board, Turgeman has the authority to change the agenda and prevent plans from being discussed. However, in this case the municipality will be exposed to petitions by developers and landowners who will claim that the delays stem from ulterior motives.

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