Zoabi blasts Israeli court in interview with Hamas paper
February 8, 2016A day after being sentenced to six months probation for insulting police officers, MK Hanin Zoabi (Joint List) on Monday gave an interview to a Hamas-affiliated newspaper and blasted the decision.
On Sunday, the Nazareth Magistrates Court sentenced Zoabi to six months probation and a 3,000 shekel fine for a July 2014 confrontation in the northern city.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Zoabi pleaded guilty in December to the charge of insulting public officials over comments she made during the clash.
The plea bargain enabled her to avoid the far more serious charge of incitement, in return for surrendering her parliamentary immunity, admitting to the lesser charge and making a public apology.
Speaking to Hamas’s Palestine newspaper, Zoabi declared that the verdict will not stop the struggle she is waging against the Israeli government and the police’s policy of “oppression”.
“There is no precedent for an MK to be given six months (of probation) for insulting state officials,” she said.
Zoabi further claimed that the verdict was a result of the “political incitement, the political atmosphere and the atmosphere of racial persecution” against the Arab MKs in an attempt to limit their freedom of political activities.
“Knesset members have parliamentary immunity when it comes to insulting public officials as part of their work as a member of parliament. The meaning (of the sentence) is that immunity does not guarantee immunity,” she said.
The interview was published at the Knesset Ethics Committee ruled to suspend Zoabi and two of her fellow Arab Knesset members over their meeting with the families of terrorists who committed murderous attacks against Israelis.
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.
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