A former naval commando says he took and destroyed the amulet to "stop public incitement against the Jewish people" • Critics say the exhibition promotes terrorism and offends religious public.
Gadi Golan and Israel Hayom Staff
The amulet reading "Slaughter the Jews"
|
Photo credit: Liron Buzaglo |
An amulet bearing the Arabic expression "Itbah al-yahud" ("Slaughter the Jews") in Hebrew letters has been stolen from a controversial art exhibition at Sapir Academic College in Sderot.
The exhibition, called "The Power of the Word," is curated by Liav Mizrahi and includes three hamsas, hand-shaped amulets popular throughout the Middle East, created by artist Gad Wellnitz and decorated with the words "ISIS," "Slaughter the Jews," and "In blood and fire we will redeem Palestine."
Dvir Kali, a former member of the IDF's elite Shayetet naval commando unit and a student at the college, has taken responsibility for the theft of the hamsa. In a Facebook status update, Kali wrote that he took the amulet off the wall and "ripped it into little pieces."
"I'm definitely at peace with what I did to stop public incitement against the Jewish people. I don't hate Arabs. … Protecting the people doesn't end the minute you're released from the army," Kali said.
The exhibition also features a picture by artist David Riv, showing the words "Jerusalem of Gold" printed along with the words "Jerusalem of Shit" beside images of Jews praying at the Western Wall. Some critics of the exhibition claim that it promotes terrorism and offends the religious public.
