Israeli Deputy Economy Minister Yair Golan came under fire on Thursday for referring to the residents of Homesh in Samaria as “subhuman,” “despicable” and “a disgrace.”

“These people keep resettling a place that has been legally evicted … they shouldn’t be there,” said Golan in a Knesset Channel interview. “Let’s not even mention the fact that the people who live there riot in [the nearby Palestinian village of] Burka, demolish headstones and stage pogroms,” continued the former IDF deputy chief of staff.

“We, the Jewish people, who have been tormented by pogroms throughout history—do the same to others? These are not people, they are subhuman, despicable people. A disgrace to the Jewish people. They should receive no [government] backing. We should forcibly remove them from the area and restore law and order,” he added.