After threats, Israel assigns guards to incoming minister

Israel said Monday it would assign a protection detail to a controversial rightwing female MP who is slated to become justice minister after she received death threats.

"We were shocked to see threats and photomontages online of Ayelet Shaked in a Nazi uniform," parliamentary speaker Yuli Edelstein told army radio.

The decision to assign her a protection detail was made by Edelstein and the Knesset's head of security after she complained of threats against her on social networks, the radio said.

"We won't allow anyone to threaten parliamentarians and we will do whatever necessary so they can carry out their mission," said Edelstein.

Shaked, a secular 39-year-old from Tel Aviv who is number three on the list of the far-right Jewish Home party, was tapped as Israel's justice minister last week during the last 24 hours of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's uphill battle to piece together a coalition government.

The photomontage, which was posted online, showed the telegenic MP wearing a brown Nazi uniform with quotes attributed to her printed alongside, in which she allegedly called all Palestinians "enemy combatants" and said they should be killed.

News of her expected appointment sparked a furious response with the Palestinians denouncing her as an extremist who "advocated genocide".

They were referring to remarks attributed to her as well as a Facebook post which was deleted but widely picked up by the Israeli media in which she likened the Palestinians to "snakes".

Opposition parties also expressed concern at the nomination of an MP who has been at the forefront of efforts to curb the powers of the Supreme Court.

Last year, she tabled a bill which would reduce the court's ability to overturn legislation it finds unconstitutional.

The bill was put together after the court overturned legislation that allowed the state to jail African asylum seekers without trial.

“Giving Shaked the justice ministry would be like appointing a pyromaniac to head the fire department,” said Nahman Shai, a Labour MP who served as deputy speaker in the previous parliament.

Last week's coalition negotiations saw the Jewish Home party, which opposes a Palestinian state and strongly backs settlement activities, securing a senior role within the newly-formed government which is to be sworn in.

The move looks likely to complicate Israel's damaged relationship with the Palestinians and further strain ties with the international community.