Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized today for remarks he made last week about the Arab turnout for the election, The Times of Israel reported. A video of the apology that was posted to Netanyahu’s Facebook page is embedded below.

“I know the things I said several days ago offended some of Israel’s citizens, hurt the Arab citizens,” Netanyahu told representatives of the Arab community at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. “This was never my intent. I apologize for this.”

The apology was met with enthusiastic applause from the Arab representatives, several of whom embraced him after the statement. …

“My actions as prime minister, including the tremendous investment in minority communities, prove the opposite. I think, too, that we must never let anyone outside the state of Israel interfere with our democratic process.”

He added that he saw himself “as the prime minister of each and every one of you, all the citizens of Israel, regardless of faith, ethnicity or gender.”

[Photo: Screenshot from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Facebook page ]