'Edelstein runs the Knesset as the Likud headquarters instead of a parliament'
MKs protest against Knesset speaker's decision not to allow an event marking the 50th anniversary of the 'occupation,' and they are threatening to appeal to the attorney general.
Left-wing Knesset members protested Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein's decision to prohibit an MK from holding a conference marking 50 years of 'occupation' in a hall in the building. The MKs are threatening legal action.
"Edelstein is running the Knesset as the Likud headquarters instead of a parliament," said Aida Touma-Sliman, the Joint List MK whose application to reserve the hall had been denied.
Touma-Sliman appealed to the Knesset legal adviser and to the attorney general for their urgent intervention, demanding that they cancel the decision made by Edelstein.
"The decision taken by the Knesset speaker is a severe blow to democracy and freedom of expression and violates the right of Knesset members as emissaries of an entire public to express their opinions," said Touma-Sliman.
"The speaker is trying to impose his opinion through an intervention that is not within his authority. It is precisely this decision that highlights the importance of this conference. The continuation of the occupation not only harms the Palestinian people, but also has ramifications for the State of Israel and its residents, one of which is trampling on the rights and values of democracy.
"The speaker must have forgotten, but the Knesset is not a parliament where one conducts discussions and swaps opinions, and it is unnatural that he chose to silence the counter voice. The struggle against this decision is fundamental on the level of the right to fight the occupation policy and the erosion of the margins of democracy."
MK Dr. Dov Khenin of the Joint List also responded to the Knesset speaker's decision to prevent the conference from being held. "The Knesset speaker must understand that the Knesset is the arena of public debate," Hanin said. "The views held by Edelstein, Bennett and Lieberman are not the only legitimate ones; so are the voices of those who oppose the occupation and offer a real future for both peoples.
"Anti-occupation rallies were held in the Knesset last year in large halls and with the impressive participation of organizations, citizens and guests from abroad. We will not allow democracy to be stopped outside the gates of the Knesset. We intend to act by all legal means against this precedent-setting decision."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
