Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein
Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch
Knesset speaker refuses to accept Arabic letter of resignation
MK Wael Younis of the Joint List resigns from Knesset as part of rotation agreement in his party, but Speaker Edelstein refuses to accept the resignation and sign the letter, written in Arabic, because he doesn't 'understand its contents.'
Joint List MK Wael Younis submitted his letter of resignation from the Knesset on Wednesday to Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who refused to sign it because it was in Arabic.
MK Younis resigned from the Knesset as part of a rotation agreement inside his party, which combines members from several Arab parties—Hadash, Islamic Movement, Balad and UAL-Ta’al.
MK Wael Younis (Photo: TPS)
However, unless the Knesset speaker accepts the resignation and signs the letter, Younis cannot resign.
"I cannot sign a letter if I don't understand its content," Edelstein. "It is only appropriate that in Israel's parliament, the resignation letter will also be submitted in Hebrew."
Younis' letter of resignation
The incident comes some three weeks after the passage of the controversial Nationality law, according to which Hebrew is the state's official language, while Arabic only has a special status.
