In Israel, dehumanizing Palestinians and calling for their destruction has become the norm. Only a few days after Chief Israeli Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said that non-Jews should not live in Israel unless they  serve Jews, another influential Israeli racist has come out publicly, in this case to incite against Palestinians and their supporters. Transportation minister Israel Katz called for the  civil targeted killing of non-violent civil rights leaders who call for the boycott, divestment, and sanctioning of Israel until it conforms to international law.Here is what author Richard Silverstein had to say about Katz s statement, made in Hebrew: The phrase he used (sikul ezrahi memukad) derives from the euphemistic Hebrew phrase for the targeted killing of a terrorist (the literal meaning is  targeted thwarting ).  But the added word  civil  makes it something different. Katz is saying that we won t physically murder BDS opponents, but we will do everything short of that. One may rightly ask what business a transportation minister has conducting targeted killings, physical or otherwise, against anyone.  Though everything in Israel is in service to the national security state, has transportation fallen under that bailiwick as well? We are entering dangerous territory when an Israeli cabinet minister engages in wordplay that verges on putting a bull s-eye on the backs of non-violent activists.  If there are Israel apologists out there who dismiss the significance of such rhetoric they are sadly mistaken.  In this torrid political environment in which Israeli leftists have become criminals and wounded Palestinian youth may be summarily executed in the street,  it is only too easy to forsee Palestinian activists like Barghouti (BDS leader) having a bounty on their heads. In addition, BDS activists this psychopath is inciting against are not just Palestinian: They are from all over the world, including the United States. In fact, American activists are at the forefront of the BDS movement. Moreover, we want to keep in mind the life and death power Israel has over the Palestinian people. It has become the norm not only to incite against Palestinians but to kill them in cold blood. Only a few days ago, an injured Palestinian who was incapacitated and lying on the ground was murdered by an Israeli soldier (you can watch the video below). Many Israelis consider the soldier a hero and are calling for his release.Israel s life and death stranglehold over millions of Palestinians makes statements like Katz s even more dangerous because many Israeli Jews do not see Palestinians as humans. After all, Israelis were lounging in chairs on hilltops and cheering as thousands of civilians were being killed in Gaza in the summer of 2014. Israeli politicians have a long history of frightening language against Palestinians. Whether it is Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked s reference to Palestinian children as snakes, or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s continuous incitement, Katz s statement is just the latest round of Israeli politicians tripping over each other to dehumanize Palestinians.Watch video here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Bl9zAM5A4] Featured image via video screenshot.