'Assimilation is consuming Jewish people': Israeli ministers slam 'Fauda' star’s marriage to Muslim news anchor

Tsahi Halevi, star of international TV hit Fauda, married Arab-Israeli news anchor Lucy Aharish in a secret wedding on an undisclosed beach yesterday, and some Israeli ministers have criticised the interfaith union. Aharish, a Muslim Arab, and Halevi, a Jew, have reportedly been in a relationship for years, but kept it low key on account of opposition from both of their families. They also kept their wedding secret to avoid protests from extremist groups. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri told Army Radio that the celebrity union was “not the right thing to do,” and that “assimilation is consuming the Jewish people.” Deri went as far as to say that any future children the couple have will face serious problems, and urged Aharish to convert to Judaism: “If her soul longs for Judaism, there is a conversion process,” he said. Likud member Oren Hazan also criticised the wedding, seemingly accusing Aharish of being on a secret mission to destroy Jewish people. He too urged the Muslim journalist to convert on Twitter: “I don’t blame Lucy Aharish for seducing a Jewish soul in order to hurt our nation and prevent more Jewish offspring from continuing the Jewish line. On the contrary, she’s welcome to convert.” Hazan even went on to accuse Halevi of becoming 'Islamicised' through his role in the show, which is baffling, because in it he plays a member of a crack undercover Israeli team hunting down Arab terrorists: "I do blame Tsahi the IslamLevi, who took Fauda one step too far. Bro, snap out of it," he fumed. If he's seemingly so easily influenced by roles, we're sure they will wonder what might happen when Halevi takes on the role of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in the Netflix movie The Angel later this year. Not every Israeli politician on Twitter was negative about the couple. "I'll say this gently: the brave and good-hearted Lucy Aharish understands what being a Jew means better than the person who tweeted that sickening and racist post I'm forced to share here - in the hopes everyone sees who we're dealing with and what filth Netanyahu has brought into our homes," wrote Zionist Union’s Stav Shaffir. Zionist Union’s Yoel Hasson tweeted that Hazan’s remarks revealed the “dark, racist and embarrassing face” of the ruling Likud party, while Kulanu’s Meirav Ben Ari slammed the lawmaker’s criticisms as “disgusting” and encouraged the couple to “only remember the blessings” from their wedding day.

'Assimilation is consuming Jewish people': Israeli ministers slam 'Fauda' star’s marriage to Muslim news anchor

Tsahi Halevi and long-term partner Lucy Aharish were wed in secret beachfront ceremony