Israeli-Arab Mk Hanin Zoabi threw the plenary session of the Knesset into a chaotic uproar by repeatedly calling Israeli soldiers “murderers” during a parliamentary discussion over the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement on Wednesday. Zoabi was referring to Israel’s interception of a flotilla in 2010 attempting to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, with Zoabi herself on board – activists on the flotilla clashed violently with Israeli soldiers, leaving ten Turkish citizens dead.
ח”כ זועבי כינתה את חיילי צה”ל “רוצחים” ועוררה סערה: כך נראתה המהומה בכנסתhttps://t.co/Nag5ipMk9s pic.twitter.com/8C2aD0efmW
— חדשות 2 (@Channel2News) June 29, 2016
In the pandemonium following Zoabi’s comments, several MKs were removed by Knesset security, including Zoabi herself. “The agreement with Turkey is an admission of guilt. You should all apologize for the murder of nine activists by the Israeli Naval Commando,” said Zoabi, of the Joint Arab List faction, from the Knesset podium, referring to Israel’s agreement to apologize to Turkey and compensate the families of those killed in the raid.
Her comment was loudly interrupted by Likud MK Oren Hazan, who shouted, among other things, “You are evil incarnate – go to Gaza!”
This was the opening volley in a shouting match that quickly exploded across all aisles and parties. The Knesset riot only increased after Zoabi’s speaking time ran out and she left the podium. Zoabi then returned to the speaker’s dais and asked to apologize for her previous remarks; however, when given the opportunity to do so Zoabi resumed shouting at the Jewish MKs, “You committed murder! You committed murder! Shut up!”
At that point Hazan rushed to the speaker’s dais as Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy attempted to physically remove Zoabi from the podium, while calling her “filth.”
The commotion got physical and according to one MK almost turned into an actual brawl. “This was an irregular incident in the Knesset’s history – people were almost beaten up,” said MK Meirav Ben-Ari of the Kulanu party.
Following the incident, which resulted with the removal of Zoabi as well as four Jewish MKs by Knesset security, Jewish-Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum rushed to express their anger over Zoabi’s comments on social media.
“IDF soldiers are our children, calling them murderers is abominable. Shame on you Zoabi. Another reason why we shouldn’t have a greed to compensate our soldiers’ attacker, ” tweeted opposition leader Isaac Herzog.
“Let me get this straight, MK Zoabi calls IDF soldiers murderers and we still pay her salary? If she were in Congress she’d be expelled at once,” tweeted MK Michael Oren (Kulanu), a former Israeli ambassador to the US.
#letmegetthisstraight MK Zoabi calls IDF soldiers murderers and we still pay her salary? If she were in Congress she’d be expelled at once
— Michael Oren (@DrMichaelOren) June 29, 2016
Likud MK Amir Ohana has already sent a formal complaint letter to the Knesset Ethics Committee, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he instructed Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to examine the legality of ousting Zoabi from the Knesset altogether.
“She has crossed all boundaries with her actions and lies and she has no place being in the Knesset,” Netanyahu tweeted.
MK Ayman Odeh, leader of Zoabi’s Joint List faction, took to twitter to defend her.
“We are united against the racist and violent incitement directed at MKs Hanin Zoabi and Aida Touma-Suleiman,” Odeh wrote, describing the backlash as “part of a delegitimization campaign whose goal is to remove Arabs from the political field and citizenship.”
Interestingly, support – albeit laced with criticism – for Zoabi’s right to make her remarks came from a surprising source.
“Zoabi should have been in jail a long time ago. Then she wouldn’t be in the Knesset. As long as she’s in Knesset she can say anything. Her words are shocking but that’s essence of democracy and free-speech,” tweeted far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich of the Jewish Home party.
