Arab MKs abuse their immunity
Op-ed: The outrageous trio - Zoabi, Zahalka and Ghattas are dancing on the blood of the dead. What do they care? In the Israeli democracy even this event will be forgotten; they would not dare test the limits of democracy in one of the neighboring countries.
I actually believe this outrageous trio - Zoabi, Zahalka and Ghattas - who tried to be involved in an effort to aid the Palestinian murderers’ families in getting their relatives’ bodies held by us for four months. I also believe the statement of this outrageous trio that they were not really bothered by being filmed standing for a moment of silence or being caught calling the murderers of Israelis "martyrs." But the excuse that violence and terrorism are a legitimate fight against occupation, that it is allowed to attack civilians and murder in cold blood, is inconceivable when it comes to elected officials with immunity that insist on possessing an Israeli identity card.
What do they care? The dogs bark, and in the Israeli democracy even this event will be forgotten. I was more irritated by Zahalka's defiant appearance on the Temple Mount, or the fervor of Zoabi on the Marmara or whenever she deliberately creates confrontation with the security forces. You can guess that their mentor Azmi Bishara’s evil spirit accompanied this trio to a meeting with the families of the murderers. If someone on the Knesset Ethics Committee or the Attorney General's office plans to punish them with the denial of their salary, Doha will make sure they are well compensated. Qatar is the richest country in the world, and trust Azmi Bishara sits in near the Emir’s ears so that he will take care of his proteges.
Rather than suspend them or impose the deletion of their salaries, someone with a creative mind can dream of putting this trio on a plane and take them as close as possible to Azmi Bishara. They may have already taken into account such a scenario - when they are exploring the limits of Israeli democracy, they know that the deportation could damage our decision makers more than Zoabi, Ghattas, and Zahalka.
I heard Ghattas's claims of innocence and Zahalka’s affectation. It is true that according to Islam, respect for the dead is done by burial of the body as quickly as possible. It is true that Israel’s new game of holding the bodies of the Jerusalem bodies of the killers and returning the bodies of the murderers from Qabatiya looks bad. But if this trio was seriously committed to the return of the bodies, without seeking headlines, they could pass on the Israeli conditions – holding a funeral after 1 o'clock at night, with only 30 participants at the event and a financial guarantee – on the phone, without honoring the murderers.
This trio could even squat near the offices of Defense Minister Ya'alon and Minister of Public Security Erdan until a deal was achieved. A hunger strike, for example, could get Zahalka-Zoabi-Ghattas fat headlines and dramatic images just as they would like it, and not only in the Israeli media.
The left and center have been caught in an offended silence. Only MK Ilan Gilon had the guts to unsheath criticism from his gut. A combination of diligence, stupidity and provocation, said Gilon on behalf of the Left, this frustrates the process of peace-loving people like me. So be aware, MK Gilon, that this trio does not care about you or about their party’s chairman, Ayman Odeh, who has not yet found the words.
Only in Israel can elected officials permit themselves to dance on blood. The trio, who recorded no achievement to date in favor of Israel's Arab citizens, would not dare test the limits of democracy in one of the neighboring countries. MK Zahalka, do the same in front of Sisi’s presidential palace in Cairo or the public prosecutor's office in Egypt. You remember Mu'az, your relative, who got a life sentence for involvement in smuggling weapons? They say he was framed. They say he lost, big-time. After the big fuss here, why not hop on a plane and bother the authorities in Egypt a little?
