Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Political NewsAnalysis Israel Katz excels at identifying the worst thoughts among the Likud hard core and acting accordingly. He's also good at condoning Jewish terror as he exploits his post for political purposes, a new approach for an Israeli defense ministerShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe06:05 PM • May 21 2026 IDT"The scum of the human race," "garbage," "substandard." These are some of the insults that Defense Minister Israel Katz has hurled at the comedian Yaron Berlad, who plays him on Israel's top satire show, "Eretz Nehederet."In the NewsHow Netanyahu's Laughing-stock Defense Minister Keeps the Political Base HappyFundraiser for Hebrew Edition of Sally Rooney Book Halted Over West Bank Policy$34m for View of the Old City: Jerusalem Apartment Sold to American Haredi BuyerKhamenei Says Enriched Uranium Must Stay in Iran, Senior Iranian Sources SayAll Gaza Flotilla Detainees Deported From Israel, Foreign Ministry SaysRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHundreds Protest at New York Times HQ Over Column Alleging Abuse by IsraelisICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli OfficialsEverybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence CompetitionIsraeli Settler Filmed Abusing Palestinian-owned Dog in West BankThe Most Consequential Republican Primary for Israel Is Happening in KentuckyWelcome to the Most Shameful Day in the Jewish Calendar