Israeli President Isaac Herzog has acknowledged growing violence and extremism within Jewish society against Muslims and Christians, criticising what he described as a “state of brutality and moral decline”.
Herzog made the remarks on Sunday during the Jerusalem Unity Prize 2026 ceremony at the President’s residence in Jerusalem, according to Israel’s public broadcaster, where he addressed rising violence in Israeli society, including settler attacks and abuses against activists and religious figures.
Without naming him directly, Herzog also criticised Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the publication of a video showing the mistreatment of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which triggered widespread international condemnation.
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“We are witnessing a horrifying wave of violence carried out by anarchic mobs in Judea and Samaria,” Herzog said, referring to the occupied West Bank.
He also referred to attacks carried out by settlers against Christian and Muslim clerics, describing such acts as “shameful and ugly behaviour”.
“We must not accept the state of brutality and moral decline emerging from the fringes of society and threatening us all,” he added.
In April, footage circulated showing an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a pickaxe in the southern Lebanese town of Debel, sparking widespread religious and political condemnation.
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