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Arab
Knesset Member Under Fire For Slamming Israeli Aggression
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Knesset Members:
Tibi is a “collaborator with the enemy”
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OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, April 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Arab
member of the Knesset Ahmed Tibi, drew fire Tuesday, April 9, from his
colleagues in a number of Knesset factions for enthusiastically
praising the Palestinian resistance in Jenin and Nablus, that has so
far left 15 dead, news agencies reported.
"The
Palestinian resistance in the Jenin refugee camp and the Old City of
Nablus is a noble act of heroism... This resistance, aimed at
defending the home from tanks and armored vehicles, bolsters the honor
of the Arab nation," the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha’aretz,
quoted Al Tibi saying in a telephone interview with Palestinian
television yesterday.
Likud
Knesset member Ze'ev Boim called Tibi a “collaborator with the
enemy” and said the Knesset "should vomit out such people from
its midst." Likud colleague Michael Eitan argued that while
Israeli occupation soldiers are fighting against what he called the
“terror infrastructure” Tibi is exploiting his parliamentary
immunity to “assist the Palestinians in trying to thwart these
military efforts”, reported Ha’aretz.
"This
is not democracy," Eitan declared while asking the Knesset House
Committee to convene to discuss the statements.
Labor
Knesset member Ophir Pines-Paz also took Tibi to task, saying the
remarks were a disservice to all those seeking to maintain
co-existence between Arabs and Jews in Israel during these difficult
times. He added that “Tibi and other Arab Knesset members seem to be
competing over who can make the most extreme statements.”
Rightist
Knesset Member Avigdor Lieberman from the National Union-Yisrael
Beiteinu Party went as far as saying that Tibi's words are “an act
of terror no less than suicide terrorists and action should be taken
against him accordingly.”
Lieberman's
colleague from the National Union party, Eliezer Cohen, suggested that
Tibi join the ranks of suicide bombers and wished that "his end
will be like theirs," reported the paper.
This
is not the first time for Arab members of the Israeli Knesset to come
under fire for their public statements. In August, Knesset member
Taleb A-Sana stirred a controversy when he told an interviewer from
Abu Dhabi television that a shooting attack near Tel Aviv’s Kirya
Israeli military base was a legitimate act in the struggle of the
Palestinian people against their Israeli occupation, reported the
Israeli website, Israel Insider.
A-Sana
added, "When there is no security for Palestinians, there will be
no security for Israel. If Israel can [attack] in Nablus, Palestinians
can get to the heart of Tel Aviv."
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