Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein should press incitement charges against MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) for tearing a New Testament and throwing it in the trash, the Knesset’s sole Christian MK, Hanna Sweid (Hadash), said Wednesday.

“This is hooliganism, bullying and an apocalyptic act of hatred that was baseless and unnecessary,” Sweid told The Jerusalem Post after Ben-Ari destroyed the book, which was mailed to all 120 MKs by a messianic Jewish organization. “This reflects the culture of a man who is dangerous to nations and religions of the world.”

The MK, a member of the Arab-Jewish socialist faction Hadash, complained to the Knesset Ethics Committee, but said he has no doubt that they will not punish Ben-Ari effectively or remove his parliamentary immunity. He was also skeptical that the Attorney-General’s office would heed his call, though he called Ben-Ari’s actions “incitement,” and expressed fears that they would encourage the public “to raise a hand against Christians.”

“I hope that [Ben-Ari] represents a minority, and such incitement won’t continue,” Sweid sighed.

According to Sweid, “Evangelicals support Ben-Ari’s path of occupation and settlements. I hope they will now see who they are dealing with.”

Sweid said he was disappointed that there was not more of an outcry, but at the same time is not accusing those who did not speak out against Ben-Ari of supporting such acts. However, the Hadash MK stated, if the public does not stand up against Ben-Ari, he will be encouraged.

At the same time, Sweid thanked Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin for his “noble and brave” condemnation of Ben-Ari in the plenum on Wednesday.

“I condemn any disrespect of holy texts of any religion, including ripping the New Testament by an MK yesterday,” Rivlin said. “Every holy book is important to its believers.”

According to the Knesset Speaker, if a parliamentarian from another country would burn a Torah and call it a provocation, the world would condemn him or her.

“Democracy is the freedom of speech, but it is not anarchy, and freedom of faith and worship is one of the founding values of this country,” Rivlin added.

On Tuesday, Ben-Ari tore up a copy of the “Book of Testaments,” combining the Tanach and New Testament in one volume, sent to all 120 MKs by The Bible Society in Israel, a messianic Judaism institution for research, publication and dissemination of holy books.

Rivlin rejected Ben-Ari’s request to respond in the plenum on Wednesday, telling him to “stop giving the Knesset a bad name.”

“Millions of Jews were murdered in the name of the New Testament, this revolting book brought massacres of Jews in the [Spanish] Inquisition and throughout history,” Ben-Ari said.

According to the National Union MK, the Bible Society wanted to “step on the corpses of the millions of martyrs that were murdered because of their Judaism.”

As for allegations that Christians support the right, Ben-Ari accused the Likud of accepting donations from Evangelicals, and said that he, like his ideological forbearer Kach leader Rabbi Meir Kahane, would not accept a cent from non-Jews.

The Likud declined to comment.

Ben-Ari said he has no doubt his reaction was appropriate and called for all other MKs to throw the New Testament in the trash.

After Rivlin’s condemnation in the Knesset, several MKs reacted for and against Ben-Ari in the plenum.

MK Nissim Ze’ev (Shas) said the New Testaments sent to the Knesset were written by “heretics” – meaning messianic Jews – and as such must be burned. He added that a Torah written by a female Reform Rabbi should also be incinerated.

Ze’ev condemned missionary activity, and called sending the books to MKs a “pointless provocation.”

“I got a copy of the New Testament in the mail, too, but I never thought to rip it up or burn it,” MK Masud Gnaim (UAL-Ta’al) said, calling Ben-Ari and Ze’ev racists. “As a Muslim, I respect all religions’ holy books.”

MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL-Ta’al) broke a Knesset regulation, bringing a photograph of Kahane on the plenum stage, saying he is to blame for Ben-Ari’s actions, and tearing it up.

Dr. Juergen Beuhler, Director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, said that Ben-Ari’s actions “have needlessly inflamed this situation and were an obvious stunt to gain publicity.”

“We recognize that he does not represent the Israeli mainstream, which rejects this sort of incendiary act and shows respect for the sacred books of other faiths,” Beuhler added.