Jewish extremist charged with inciting terror

Bentzi Gopstein has previously praised the man who murdered 29 Muslims at a Hebron mosque in 1994, prosecutors say

Bentzi Gopstein has been indicted over alleged racist and violent statements (AFP via Getty)

The leader of an extremist Jewish group has been charged with inciting violence and terrorism.

Israeli prosecutors have moved against political activist Bentzi Gopstein, who they said had publicly made “calls for committing acts of violence” and published “racially inciting” material.

The indictment relates to statements the activist made between 2012 and 2017, reports in Israeli media said. In one 2014 incident he referred to Palestinians as a “cancer”, the Times of Israel reported.

The 50-year-old has also voiced support for Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish extremist who massacred 29 Muslim worshippers at Ibrahimi mosque, in Hebron, in 1994, the justice ministry said.

Mr Gopstein is the leader of anti-assimilation group Lehava, which opposes the mixing of Jews and non-Jews, and actively harasses Jewish-Arab couples.

He is also a member of the radical Jewish Power party, which was barred earlier this year from running in parliamentary elections because of his anti-Arab racism.

The Jewish Power party is comprised of hard-line religious nationalists who have cast themselves as successors to the outlawed Kahanist movement, which advocated the forced removal of Palestinians.

Additional reporting by Associated Press