Knesset panel suspends 3 Israeli Arab parliamentarians
The Knesset House Committee suspended three Israeli Arab Joint List members, MKs Jamal Zahalka (for two months) and Haneen Zoabi and Basel Ratas (for four months), in response to 450 complaints over their conduct. They were penalized for paying condolence visits in Ramallah to the families of three Palestinian terrorists who were shot dead while attacking Israeli border police officers at Damascus Gate last week. An Israeli policewoman died of her wounds. Among the complainants were Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu, the Knesset Speaker and a number of faction leaders.
The three lawmakers were suspended from attending House sessions but allowed to take part in votes.The Prime minister took the podium to voice his outrage over “Israeli lawmakers’ support for murderers of Israelis! Try to imagine a British MP standing for a moment’s silence for Jihadi John,” he said, in reference to lawmakers standing for a moment’s of silence for the three Palestinian “martyrs.” He was heckled from the Israeli Arab benches with shouts of “fascist!” and “inciter!”.