Lieberman. 'No one can preach to us'
Photo: Ariel Yarozolimsky
Arab protest against arrest on Monday
Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yeshuv
Ameer Makhoul
Lieberman: Isolate those who think like Iran
Foreign minister unfazed by Arab public's protest over arrest of Ameer Makhoul, Omar Said. 'There is far more than decisive evidence. These people are closer to Iran, Hezbollah, North Korea in their values,' he says
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday commented on the arrest of two Arab public figures suspected of spying for Hezbollah. "There is far more than decisive evidence," he said of the Shin Bet investigation of Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said.
"Our intelligence services are of the best in the world and are also very, very responsible people," Lieberman said during a visit to Japan.
Espionage Case
Hagai Einav
Espionage charges against Omar Said constitute political persecution, his wife says
He added, "There is far more than general suspicions, and I suggest we really understand that there are quite a few people even here among us with the same values and world view as Iran, Hezbollah, and North Korea. They are much closer to the values of these countries that the values of a free democratic state like Israel. These people should be isolated from society."
Makhoul, 52, from Haifa, a very well-known figure in the Israeli-Arab society, and 50-year-old Said of Kfar Kanna, were arrested on suspicions of committing severe security offences, including espionage and contact with a foreign agent from Hezbollah. Most of the details of the affair are still under gag order.
Makhoul was arrested last week in his home in Haifa in front of his wife and children. Several computers were confiscated from his house. Said was arrested in April, and police confiscated material from his home as well.
