MK Zouheir Bahloul.
Photo: Gil Nehushtan
MK Bahloul staying true to himself
Knesset Member Zouheir Bahloul keeps going on his path, believing that moderation and attempts to bridge the gap between different people is the way to go. That doesn't mean he's free of criticism: The government, the police commissioner, the Knesset's new suspension bill, and even the MKs of Balad all catch his eye.
MK Zouheir Bahloul doesn't see much of a difference between the Knesset and the soccer field. Shouting, cursing, tension, and ejections have long become an inseparable part of our parliament's existence. "Today, representatives of community radio stations came to the Knesset, and one asked me, 'you went from violence in sports to violence in the Knesset?'" the Zionist Union member says.
What did you tell her?
"I told her that any violence must be decried, but that comparison is tantamount to slander against sports. There's violence in the fields, but it doesn't cross borders like in politics. Verbal violence in the Knesset is a blow to the essence of democracy which the Knesset is supposed to protect. It's a shameful mark upon a building that is supposed to conduct a discussion of values. What can I do with the fact that more than a few MKs, who are colleagues of mine, are adopting a bleeding conversation? It really pains me."
MK Bahloul. Sometimes soccer fields are more civilized than the Knesset. (Photo: Knesset Spokesperson)
It's that bad?
"You may be surprised to hear that sometimes the stands in the soccer field in Acre are more civilized than the benches of the Knesset. Unfortunately, there are a few MKs whose mainstream dialogue is incitement. Instead of Mks being role models, we cause the public to take the muzzles off."
"By the way, I'm not speaking of all Knesset members. There are also people who are above and beyond. I'll give you examples from the other side of the aisle so that my words have value and a message. Benny Begin, who is a declared Likud member, is an extraordinarily principled and moral man. Eli Alaluf (of Kulanu) who is also not from my (political) camp, is also exemplary."
We can't talk about soccer without hearing your opinion on La Familia (a group of extreme fans of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club, who are considered racist against Arabs and Muslims. -ed). Do you think that (Minister of Culture and Sports) Miri Regev's treatment of them is too forgiving?
"Definitely. La Familia is a body with malignant cells that needs to be operated on immediately and permanently so that it has a chance to heal. How can there be a situation in which a body that exists under a slogan of hatred against others, incitement, and hatred can continue existing under the law and sometimes, sadly, by way of Ministerial impotence? The Ministers, especially, should have an interest to leave the general crowd of Beitar supporters unstained by La Familia. Beitar has a refreshing team this year, but that shadow will always follow their universal values, and it's a shame.
La Familia. A severe problem. (Photo: Oren Aharoni)
The fans of Bnei Sakhnin, the Arab sector's flagship team, are also not exactly saints – they've expressed contempt for the national anthem during a game against Beitar.
"There's no comparing the Sakhnin audience and its team with those of Beitar. Sakhnin is a club that embodies coexistence in its being and conduct, a shared life, and a portrait of ethnic cooperation, which is a model and example in the Israeli soccer landscape. I call for my friends in Sakhnin to not dirty themselves in this game, to shake off such behavior and mannerisms, and to continue being a loyal and loving crowd for an excellent team with excellent management.
Where's the common sense?
"The situation," as the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sometimes called in Israel, provides MK Bahloul with many sleepless nights. "I went into politics and the Labor party because of this," he says. "It was during Operation Protective Edge, when the war that ignited between Israel and Hamas also broke out between Arabs and Jews, simultaneously. I experienced this and decided that, this time, I was going to change positions and try to build small bridges between the peoples.""Sadly, I found more than a few inciters in the Knesset halls, people who do not believe in the necessity of strengthening life among Jews and Arabs. The Palestinian state will be established sooner or later, despite the stubbornness of the Prime Minister and his cohorts. That's why we must take care of younger generations, so that our children will be wise enough to find a winning life formula above all other formulas. We have no choice but to establish a true life infrastructure, in which we don't treat each other as enemies, but friends.
MK Benny Begin. "an extraordinarily principled and moral man." (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
That seems very distant these days, almost impossible.
"Unfortunately, the diplomatic freeze and the lack of hope and faith that something could happen here tomorrow and the next day, leads to this kind of phenomenon. Meanwhile, lives are cut down here, mostly those of innocents who have no involvement in the diplomatic conflict. If the leaders aren't moving anything along, common sense tells us that we need to recruit human beings, the peoples, to solve the problem."
What do you think of the controversy that broke out after the IDF Chief of Staff said that you shouldn't empty (rifle) magazines at 13-year-old girls carring scissors who go out and commit a terrorist attack?
"That principled statement exposed us to the ugliness of some of our leaders who, in the first few days, instead of defending such a principled stance, turned their backs to it and spread a negative message. Need I remind you and my Jewish friends that compassion, morality, and values are what ed you from disaster and a crueld Holocaust to the establishment of a state that is a success story in almost every front, excluding that of peace?!"
"By the way, I strongly oppose statements heard in the past few days, such as those by Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, that there's no comparing Palestinian grief with Jewish grief. What the hell is he thinking? That Palestinian mothers don't have feelings? That they don't cry tears?! That they don't feel pain?! As fat as I'm concerned, these statements are the loss of a moral way, and a path to destruction. Don't lose your humanity! Populist statements such as these don't just make public discussion ridiculous, but cause a terrible injustice for the Jews. You must never change the flag of morality and principle that flies above the society which was built in its name. The depth of ignorance in these terrible statements really astonishes me."
Balad MKs. A need for sensitivity. (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)
What's your position regarding the suspension bill? Can you understand the anger among the Israeli public regarding the actions of Balad party members?
"Knesset members, including us Arabs, need to show sensitivity to the society in which we live. Just as we Arabs ask that Jews show sensitivity to us, our pain, and our sensitive issues, so we should show the same toward the Jewish public. Therefore, event keeping in mind my Balad friends' belief in the righteousness of their way and their actions in mediating the return of the bodies, it would have been better to avoid the visit, since it opens another bleeding wound in relations between Arabs and Jews, which we are trying to strengthen all the time."
"But from there to enacting a suspension bill with 90 or 80 signatures, there's a critical blow to the parliamentary status called "immunity," and therefore also a harm in the democratic essence. That's what I reject wholly any attempts to suspend MKs, as long as we're not talking about crossing criminal lines."
You're saying things that, for an Arab MK in today's atmosphere, are quite brave and unequivocal.
"Arab MKs represent their voters in repeated demands to close up the divides between the two societies, but moderation is not a bad word. I think the path I walk, which is a path of creating a peaceful, eye-level discussion with the Jewish public, is the formula we all must adopt, in order to create Jewish partners in every issue on the agenda."
