Editing Rehavam Ze'evi (section)

==Political views==
{{Conservatism in Israel|Politicians}}
A few days after the [[Six-Day War]], Ze'evi submitted a plan for the creation of a Palestinian state called the State of Ishmael, with [[Nablus]] as its capital.<ref name="haaretz.com">[http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-palestinian-state-of-ishmael-as-envisioned-by-rehavam-ze-evi-1.319271 The 2-state solution], [[Haaretz]]</ref> He urged Israel's leaders to establish this state as soon as possible, claiming that "Protracted Israeli military rule will expand the hate and the abyss between the residents of the West Bank and Israel, due to the objective steps that will have to be taken in order to ensure order and security."<ref name="haaretz.com"/>

Ze'evi later advocated the population transfer by agreement of 3.3 million residents of the West Bank and [[Gaza Strip]] to Arab nations.<ref name=obguardian/><ref name="cnn20020408">[http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/10/17/israel.zeevi.profile/?related Rehavam Ze'evi: A controversial figure] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405190849/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/10/17/israel.zeevi.profile/?related |date=5 April 2007 }}, CNN (28 April 2002)</ref> He believed this could be accomplished by making life difficult so they would relocate on their own, through use of military force during wartime, or by agreement with Arab nations.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1010/p06s02-wome.htm Israel mints ultranationalist hero], Christian Science Monitor (10 October 2002)</ref> In July 1987, Ze'evi presented his ideas at a forum in Tel Aviv, describing the plan as a voluntary transfer and the only way to make peace with the Arabs.<ref name="jpost20011018">"A man who loved his country", Obituary, ''The Jerusalem Post'', (18 October 2001)</ref> After the [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]] in 1990, Ze'evi proposed transferring Palestinians to the east side of the [[Jordan River]] to serve as a buffer zone against any Iraqi attempt to attack Israel.<ref name="jpost20011018"/>

In a radio interview in July 2001, Ze'evi stated that 180,000 Palestinians worked and lived illegally in Israel. He described them as a "cancer" and said Israel should rid itself of those who were not Israeli citizens "the same way you get rid of lice."<ref>"Israel's tourism minister calls Palestinians 'lice'", Associated Press (2 July 2001)</ref> He called for denying the vote to Arab citizens who did not serve in the army. He believed that [[Jordan]] historically belonged to the [[Tribes of Israel]], specifically [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]], [[Tribe of Reuven|Reuven]], and [[Tribe of Manasseh|Menashe]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/fromthearchive/story/0,,1680917,00.html Sharon's "guard dog" bares his teeth] The Guardian (7 March 2001)</ref> Zeevi urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to "lay waste to the Palestinian Authority" and assassinate [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] leader Yasser Arafat.<ref name="guardianprofile"/>

Reporting his assassination, the BBC described Ze'evi as "one of the most controversial politicians in Israel" who "repeatedly called for Arabs to be transferred out of the state and is notorious for using the line: 'Let the Arabs go back to Mecca'".<ref name=bbc20011017>{{cite news|title=Israeli minister shot dead|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1603862.stm|newspaper=BBC|date=17 October 2001}}</ref> [[Binyamin Elon]], leader of the [[Moledet]] party after Ze'evi's murder, maintains that Ze'evi did not hate Arabs.<ref>[http://business.msn.co.il/news/StatePoliticalMilitary/Political/200511/20051102134000.htm Benny Elon: Ze'evi didn't hate Arabs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728133736/https://www.msn.com/?redirfallthru=http%3a%2f%2fbusiness.msn.co.il%2fnews%2fStatePoliticalMilitary%2fPolitical%2f200511%2f20051102134000.htm%3f |date=28 July 2020 }} MSN News, 2 November 2005 (in Hebrew)</ref> Despite being accused of racism, one of Ze'evi's closest friends was the Muslim [[Israeli-Arab]] officer and war hero [[Amos Yarkoni]]. Ze'evi and Yarkoni had worked together in the IDF. After Yarkoni's death Ze'evi loudly criticised the decision not to bury him in a military cemetery for {{lang|he|[[halakhic]]}} reasons.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Morello|first=Carol|date=6 January 2014|title=A Poignant Controversy Over Israeli Burial Site A Muslim War Hero's Jewish Peers Speak Out|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-12-31/news/25940346_1_israeli-army-jewish-soldier-israeli-jews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031558/http://articles.philly.com/1993-12-31/news/25940346_1_israeli-army-jewish-soldier-israeli-jews|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 January 2014|access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref>