"We reject this racism and regard it as part of the colonial mentality characterizing officials in this country," Bishara said.

Additional Reporting By Yasser El-Bana, IOL Gaza Correspondent

GAZA CITY, December 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that the Israeli Arab population posed a demographic threat to the country came under fire from lawmakers, Israeli Arab leaders and Israeli civil rights groups.

Knesset member Azmi Bishara (National Democratic Alliance) branded as "racist" describing the original residents of the land as a demographic problem.

"No people in the world like to hear that their actual existence causes a demographic problem," he told IslamOnline.net Thursday, December 18.

Addressing a conference on security issues held in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, Netanyahu Wednesday, December 17, blamed Israeli Arabs of disturbing Israel's demographic balance.

"If there is a demographic problem, and there is, it is with the Israeli Arabs who will remain Israeli citizens," he said.

Netanyahu claimed if the percentage of Arab citizens rises above its current level of about 20 percent "than the Jewish state will be annulled."

"We reject this racism and regard it as part of the colonial mentality characterizing officials in this country," Bishara said.

"Netanyahu wants to treat Israeli Arabs like Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by counting and besieging them," he charged.

Agreeing, KM Ahmed Tibi lashed out at hawkish Netanyahu branding his remarks as "a stink bomb and racism."

"The day is not far when Netanyahu and his flock will set up roadblocks at the entrance to Arab villages in order to tie Arab women's tubes and spray them with spermicide," he was quoted by Haaretz as saying.

For his part, Abdel-Malek Dahamsha, a third Israeli Arab lawmaker, warned that Netanyahu was "playing with fire."

"We are neither a commodity nor a problem. We have a right and we are the original owners of the land. We live in our country and are ready to shoulder our duties as citizens."

He told IOL that Netanyahu’s remarks "reflect the weakness of the Zionist ideology and an outdated ideological perception."

Netanyahu's remarks also came under fire from Israeli opposition figures and a civil rights group.

"Small Bigots"

"Netanyahu at Herzliya poured a fuel tanker on the bonfire of relations between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel," Sarid said

Yossi Sarid, of the Meretz movement, accused Netanyahu of setting in motion an irrevocable deterioration of relations between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, said Haaretz.

He said it was amazing to see how "great leaders are exposed as small bigots. The Palestinian problem in the territories has not yet been solved, and already some insist on creating a new problem with Israeli Arabs."

Sarid asserted that "Netanyahu at Herzliya poured a fuel tanker on the bonfire of relations between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel, and a thousand firemen won't be able to put out a fire that one light-hearted man ignited."

Haaretz further said that the Association for Civil Rights in Israel sent a letter of complaint to Netanyahu about the remarks.

"Comments like these fan the flames of hatred, racism and discrimination that are the daily reality of Israeli Arab citizens and undermine the basic trust that underpins a democratic society," the organization said.

Arab Israelis complain authorities discriminate against them in the distribution of state funds, particularly in local communities and education.

Unemployment and poverty figures are higher in the community than among Jewish Israelis.

According to Haaretz of Israel's 6.6 million citizens, about 1.3 million are Arabs.