Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has triggered widespread criticism after making controversial remarks about Israel’s Arab citizens during a special session of the Knesset held to mark Jerusalem Day and Students Day.
According to a report by The Times of Israel on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the far-right minister, who is a member of the Otzma Yehudit party, made the comments in parliament shortly after a speech delivered by Ra’am lawmaker Waleed Alhwashla.
During his address on the floor of the Knesset, Eliyahu claimed that Israel’s founding had brought significant improvements to the living standards and opportunities of Arab citizens, arguing that without the establishment of the state, Arabs would have remained in a much more primitive state of development.
In his words, the minister stated, “If the State of Israel had not been established and had not helped the population of Walid and his friends to study in academia, they would still be riding camels,” the minister declared.
The controversy also comes against the backdrop of earlier incidents involving senior Israeli officials making similar remarks. The report recalled that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faced backlash last year after comments he made during discussions about a potential normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
At the time, Smotrich reportedly dismissed the idea of a Palestinian state and made a remark suggesting that Saudi Arabia could “keep riding camels,” a statement that drew accusations of racism and sparked diplomatic criticism.
The latest remarks were delivered during a politically sensitive parliamentary session held to commemorate Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, as well as Students Day. The occasion was already expected to draw heightened political attention given ongoing tensions within Israeli society and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict……See More
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