Haneen Zoabi removed from the Knesse
Don't panic
Op-ed: Even if the Knesset's MK termination bill passes, it won't be used as cavalierly as some may fear. After all, MKs have a long memory and political interest always remains at the forefront of their thoughts.
First of all, relax. Drink a glass of cold water. Lower the level of angry "apartheid" cries. The revised Knesset member termination bill, which is set to go before the Israeli parliament for its second and third round of votes, says that a 75 MK majority, of whom at least five must be from opposition parties, will be able to terminate the employment of an active MK. This sounds logical and even necessary – a law that actively protects democracy, even if not in the most delightful way. There isn't a country in the world in which the termination of a parliament member's term would be considered a cause for celebration.
To tell the truth, the anger towards Zoabi stretches across the full breadth of the political spectrum. She joined the flotilla as a serving MK, not a private citizen. Also present on the flotilla were some terrorists, and Zoabi's presence fanned the flames of the fiasco that ended with the deaths of ten activists and ten injured IDF soldiers (who serve in the military of the state she serves as well). This is without even mentioning the huge damage the incident caused to Israel's image. Again – this is the image of the state in which Zoabi serves as one of 120 lawmakers.
There are those who claim that this is a nationalistic law behind which stands the real agenda of expelling Arab MKs, or at least removing them in favor of "good Arabs" – those who don't ruffle anyone's feathers. The first MK that springs to mind when contemplating this suspicion is Haneen Zoabi, whose participation in the Mavi Marmara flotilla six years ago caused the storm which precipitated the bill's composition.
MK Haneen Zoabi. Her actions sparked the termination bill's genesis. (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Were the law in place back then, Zoabi's term would have been terminated – perhaps in favor of another female Arab MK who would have attempted to promote – wait for it – the interests of the Israeli-Arab public; equality, employment, education, improved infrastructure in Arab towns and the like, to name but a few examples. Yet Zoabi felt an urgent need to advocate for the interests of Palestinians in Gaza, enemies of Israel (one last reminder: The country she represents). Therefore, her place is not in the Knesset.
So, will Zoabi's term be struck with an early expiration if and when the law is passed? Not so fast. People in the Knesset have long memories. The opposition remembers the sweet taste of power and is fully cognizant of the fact that it's Arab members are crucial for any future prospect of regaining it. A termination is not something that is forgotten so quickly.
The Knesset may soon be able to fire one of its own by a 75-ote majority. (Photo: Amit Shabi)
Even an opposition member such as Yesh Atid party Chairman MK Yair Lapid, who has expressed his displeasure about the group of people he called "The Zoabis," will hesitate to vote alongside the hated coalition government. First and foremost, the MKs remember the chairs on which they sit, and they are aware that those who see to the demise of one political career today, may see the demise of their own tomorrow.
Oren Hazan (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Don't worry, there's no need to declare the law a waste just yet. It could be used against other MKs who leave a sour taste in the mouths of 75 of their colleagues. For instance, if an MK was found to have been involved in past scandals that have to do with gambling, prostitution, drugs, and other hair-raising plots, and if this MK happens to also shame the Knesset by mocking the disabled, his colleagues could seek to terminate his tenure as a legislator (of course, this is just a hypothetical. Surely no one like this exists in real life).
And if, for instance, it turns out that an MK or minister tends to give in to his urges and allow his hands to wonder whenever a secretary or parliamentary aid walks by, may his colleagues kick him down the Knesset stairs and out the door. And if a naughty minister or prime minister happens to, in some far-fetched science fiction universe, build a palace for his own use while the public is on the cusp of financial collapse, 75 of his angry co-workers would be able to show him the door, the other side of which he'll almost certainly find his fifth term of office.
