Eitam: Tibi is Dr. Blood
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Tibi: Eitam is fascist settler
Photo: Gil Yohanan
The Knesset's Ethics Committee on Tuesday decided to reprimand Knesset Members Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) and Effie Eitam (National Union-National Religious) following mutual complaints launched by both.
Tibi's complaint referred to Eitam's radio speech, given on the morning of the rally. Eitam called Tibi "Dr. Blood", a name Tibi claimed had Nazi connotations. He also claimed that Eitam gave an interview at the scene of the rally, in which he blamed Tibi for "encouraging terrorists and personally assisting the murder of Jews," and also said that "Tibi's hands are filled with blood." Tibi saw this as a personal assault and slander against him.
The two slammed each other in relation to the demonstration rally held at the Erez checkpoint during January of this year. Eitam complained to the committee that Tibi had accused him of being a "heinous civilian murderer" during the rally. According to Eitam, Tibi was referring to the former's IDF service.
Rally at Erez Crossing
Dozens of buses carrying a thousand leftists arrive at Erez crossing to bring food, humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza Strip and to protest blockade on enclave. MKs from Balad and Hadash, youth from Sderot take part
When asked to respond to each other's complaints, Tibi admitted to saying that Eitam was responsible for slaying civilians and that he was "a despicable settler", but claimed that he had only said those things in response to Eitam's slander against him.
Eitam claimed that Tibi's complaint was "quarrelsome". According to him, "Tibi has dedicated his life to betraying the State of Israel," but that the name "Dr. Blood," while it may have been "an unfortunate choice of words", was not aimed at raising Nazi connotations.
The Knesset's Ethics Committee determined that the MKs' expressions had personal references (aimed at a person and not a subject), and thus deviate from legitimate political discussion. Even in the direst of arguments, Knesset members are responsible for maintaining the Knesset's honor and the honor of its members."
In response to the committee's decision to reprimand both MKs, Eitam said, "I stand firmly by my belief that MK Tibi is betraying Israel, and that all of his actions in the Knesset are aimed at harming IDF soldiers and the State. His claims that by serving in the IDF I became a 'heinous civilian murderer' are a badge of honor for me."
Tibi's response was that "a society that creates equality between democratic freedom fighters and fascists that inflame the fires of hatred and fighting is doomed. Eitam, the fascist settler, called for the bombing of a population and the murder of Palestinian leaders, and was even reprimanded by the chief of staff for violence and pogrom against civilians."