Netanyahu says Israel ‘belongs to Jewish people alone’ in attack on nation’s Arab population

Comments widely condemned as courting country's extremists in election that polls suggest he may lose

Embattled Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country is “not a state of all its citizens” in yet another apparent attempt to win extremist anti-Arab support ahead of the upcoming general election.

The comments, made on Facebook, were a direct reference to the country’s 1.6 million Arabs, who make up almost a fifth of the population.

“Israel is not a state of all its citizens,” he wrote in response to comments from the TV host Rotem Sela. “According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people – and only it.”

He added: “There is no problem with the Arab citizens of Israel. They have equal rights like all of us.”

But, ahead of a later cabinet meeting, he reiterated the point further, saying Israel was “a nation state not of all its citizens but only of the Jewish people”, reports the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The comments will be seen as a naked attempt to court both his own nationalist base and far-right extremists, as polls suggest he is in danger of being unseated by a centrist alliance in the 9 April poll.

The rhetoric builds on a theme that Mr Netanyahu – who is facing corruption charges – has consistently riffed on through the campaign: that his main challenger, Benny Gantz, will build a ruling coalition with the help of the country’s Arab parliamentary parties.

This, he says, will lead to significant concessions being made on Palestine.

Mr Gantz, an ex-military chief, has rejected the suggestion and flaunted his record of leading campaigns against militants in Gaza.

Carole Nuriel, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Israel office, criticised Mr Netanyahu for his comments.

“This anti-Arab rhetoric is a deeply troubling trend that, if it continues, could undermine Israel’s vibrant democracy,” she said on Sunday. “The representation of Israeli Arabs in the Knesset has historically been a source of pride for Israel, highlighting its democratic character.”