Liberman: Punishment handed out to Arab MKs is a ‘joke’
February 8, 2016Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman on Monday night dismissed the Knesset Ethics Committee’s decision to suspend three Arab Knesset members who met families of terrorists as a “joke”.
The committee ruled earlier that MKs Hanin Zoabi and Basel Ghattas would be suspended for a period of four months, while MK Jamal Zahalka would suspended for two months. All three are members of the Joint List’s Balad faction.
The three Knesset members will be barred from attending the Knesset plenum until the end of the winter session, but will still be able to vote there and in committee meetings.
But Liberman was unimpressed with the punishment imposed on the three, saying they should have been given the maximum penalty that the Ethics Committee is permitted to hand out.
“The punishment imposed on MKs Zoabi, Ghattas and Zahalka is a joke. Instead of imposing on them the maximum penalty, a suspension from the Knesset sessions for six months and denial of wages, and thus really deterring them [from repeating their actions], the Ethics Committee turned the case into a parody and handed a punishment which is not serious and only demonstrates incompetence and weakness,” he charged.
Liberman added, “This decision only gives makes these Knesset members more popular in their sector and doesn’t affect them in anything that is essential.”
In the meeting last week, the three Arab MKs comforted the families of the terrorists, who they called “bereaved families,” and promised to return the bodies of the terrorists, who they termed “martyrs”.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attacked the three MKs from the Knesset platform earlier on Monday, stressing Israel’s parliament would not stand for their controversial actions.
Netanyahu, along with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, had filed a personal complaint with the Ethics Committee against the three MKs. In fact, more than 450 complaints were filed with the Ethics Committee over their actions.
Similar posts
-
Israel: Small Size, Big Impact
March 21, 2024Nestled along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is a land of immense historical sig...
-
Israelis Are Fighting For Their Lives
February 21, 2024By Jonathan S. Tobin The world looks a lot different from Kibbutz Kfar Aza than it does in the U...
-
Over 2 Million Arabs Live In Israel
January 23, 2024In the complex landscape of the Middle East, where diverse cultures and identities intersect, Israe...
-
'Fauda' Star Idan Amedi Injured Fighting in Gaza
January 8, 2024Despite the severity of his injuries, Amedi's father assured Israeli news channels that his life is...
-
Israel Is A Great Country To Live In
December 28, 2023Nestled at the crossroads of the Middle East, Israel stands as a vibrant and dynamic nation, offeri...
-
Women's Empowerment in Israel
December 15, 2023In recent decades, Israel has witnessed a remarkable evolution in the status and empowerment of wom...
-
Female Israeli Soldiers Who Defeated 100 Terrorists
December 6, 2023In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, the valiant all-female unit of the Israeli Defense Force...
-
Dear World: I Don't Care
November 2, 2023By Avi Lewis I don’t care that you sympathize with Hamas I know you wouldn’t tolerate any of ...