Tibi: Palestinian prisoners rot while Shalit famous

Arab-Israeli MKs attend conference in Morocco in support of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, urge international community to make issue top priority. Likud member: They are spitting in Israel's face

Roni Sofer|Published: 01.24.11 , 21:52

"Palestinians who are imprisoned in Israel are freedom fighters," Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) said Monday during a conference in Morocco.

During the conference, Tibi and MK Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash) demanded that the international community make the Palestinian prisoners a top priority.

The Arab-Israelis joined those on hand in the singing of the Palestinian anthem "My Country".

Referring to Gilad Shalit, Tibi said "it is not fair that a prisoner who fell captive during his army service becomes the most famous soldier in history just because he is Israeli, while Palestinian prisoners rot in jail and the world does not hear of them or even know their names."

Barakeh added that "the Palestinian prisoners have families and names and hopes."

The Arab-Israeli lawmakers expressed their support for a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas "so that every prisoner - Israeli and Palestinian - returns to his family."

As expected, the MKs' comments drew harsh condemnation from right-wing Israeli politicians. "Tibi is once again spitting in the faces of Israel's citizens, who continue to pay his salary while he is vilifying Israel and encouraging terror in Morocco," Likud MK Yariv Levin said.

"His shameful remarks about Shalit prove that the thread which connected Tibi and his accomplice Barakeh to the State of Israel has long since been severed. A man who has no respect for a captive Israeli soldier is not worthy of sitting in the Knesset or of being an Israeli citizen. I call on Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin to work with me to deny Tibi of his rights as a Knesset member, which he takes advantage of to hurt Israel's status," the Likud member added.

MK Moshe Matalon of Yisrael Beiteinu, who, together with Levin, initiated a proposal calling on the State to toughen prison conditions for Palestinian prisoners until Shalit is released, said Tibi and Barakeh "are not only meeting with Israel's greatest enemies, they also choose not to make the distinction - which is clear to Israel and the entire world – between Shalit and those who murder children and innocent men and women.

"These MKs are the best explanation as to why we must put an end to our infinite tolerance towards those who contribute to the delegitimization of Israel," he said.