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Photo: Ahiya Raved
Hamis: Against war
Photo: Ahiya Raved
Photo: Ahiya Raved
Yahav: Has been in three different parties
Photo: Ahiya Raved
Photo: Effie Shrir
Regev: Praises Hamis' resignation
Photo: Effie Shrir

Haifa deputy mayor: I resigned because I was against war

Attorney Walid Hamis (National Democratic Assembly) announces his resignation on account of municipality's intention to dismiss him for things he said during war in Lebanon. According to him, 'Whoever isn't faithful to policy of Israeli government and doesn't support it will be outside of range to influence decisions'

Deputy mayor of Haifa, Attorney Walid Hamis (National Democratic Assembly) announced his resignation Monday on account of intention of some council member's to dismiss him. According to Hamis, the only reason the dismissal request was issued was his opposition to the war in Lebanon. He said, "this is a historic break. This will be the first political dismissal in the city of Haifa as a result of expressing an opinion."

 

During the war, Hamis spoke out a number of times against IDF operations in Lebanon, once in an article published by Ynet. According to the outgoing deputy mayor, this aroused great anger in Haifa, including in Mayor Yona Yahav's office. Yahav was active in pushing for Hamis' appointment despite the opposition of coalition members.

 

Because 18 out of 31 coalition members were invited to an unscheduled meeting on Hamis' dismissal, he decided to declare his resignation in a press conference held in the Haifa and Northern Journalists Union. Prior to the press conference, Hamis said to Ynet that he was subjected to an incitement campaign that made it acceptable to kill him following his statements. He was even physically attacked.

 

According to him, this is an important crossroads between Jews and Arabs in the city. "The principle that unified and blessed Haifa, the principle of seeking out partnership and common ground has been broken," he said.

 

In addition, Hamis attacked Yahav, who condemned his statements during the war, and called him a "zigzagger." Hamis said, "If the mayor starts off his political career in Labor, switches to Shinui, and lands in Kadima, who can promise us he won't end up with Liberman?"

 

Hamis reiterated his condemnation of the war: "The government of Israel turned a difficult incident of the kidnapping of soldiers into an all-out war that resulted in the destruction of Lebanon, the paralysis of the north, and hurting innocent people."

 

According to him, such statements were considered treacherous when he said them during the war only because he is Arab. But, he pointed out, many others are making similar statements today, and Jews who said the same things during the war were not ostracized. "Only about Arabs is it permissible to say – fifth column," he claimed.

 

Hamis added that he and his colleagues will join the opposition and will seek out other ways to act and to make their opinion heard. He also promised that the Arabs of the city, who had been recruited under one banner to vote for Yahav, will oust him in the next elections. "We won't agree to the rules of the game of the repulsive Mapai method of dividing Arabs according to their loyalty to their policies," he added.

 

One of the proponents of Hamis' dismissal, Itzik Regev (Kadima) said he praises Hamis' decision. "Even before Attorney Hamis was appointed to this position we didn't accept it and said he would never have a majority. During the war he expressed himself in a radical way, lashed out at the state and its institutions, the IDF and the government. On the other hand, he expressed exaggerated understanding of Hizbullah. From our perspective, this crossed a red line. True, Arabs don't have to stand at ease every time and agree with everything our government does and says, but when I enter a mosque, I take my shoes off. I don't spit on things that are important to others," Regev commented.

 

The mayor's associates expressed doubt about Hamis' decision. The municipality's response has yet to be received.

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.04.06, 15:37
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