JERUSALEM, March 14, 2017 (WAFA) – Basel Ghattas, Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Tuesday described efforts by fellow legislators to oust him from the parliament as “tyranny of the majority against the minority.”
An Israeli Knesset committee discussed on Tuesday ousting the Ghattas (Tajammu/Balad) from the parliament, but decided to postpone a vote until Monday.
The vote on Monday will be the initial vote, the first among a series of required procedures as mandated by the “Expulsion Law”. This law, enacted in 2016, allows a majority of 90 Knesset Members (MKs) to oust a serving MK for denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and/or for supporting the armed struggle of an “enemy state” or a “terrorist organization” against Israel.
The law was used on Tuesday for the first time against MK Ghattas.
Commenting on using this law against him, Ghattas stated that using the law against him is part of the “tyranny of the majority against the minority.”
It is an attempt by the Israeli Jewish majority in the Knesset to further delegitimize and persecute the elected political representatives of the Palestinian community in Israel purely on political and ideological grounds, he said.
Further, the law enables court-martial-like proceedings against Palestinian political representatives, despite the existence of other Israeli law that allows for the suspension of MKs in cases involving criminal offenses.
“The Expulsion Law must be seen in the context of Israeli attempts to silence the Palestinian public and its political representatives, starting with attempts to disqualify Arab Members of Knesset and Arab political party lists from participating in the elections for the last 15 years. Further moves include the government‘s decision to outlaw the Islamic Movement in 2015, and the Knesset‘s approval of a series of laws such as the ‘Electoral Threshold Law’, the ‘Nakba Law’, and the ‘Boycott Law’,” added Ghattas.
The Knesset procedures against Ghattas follows on from allegations against him for trying to assist Palestinian prisoners, who are prevented from communicating with the outside world, by delivering cell phones to a Palestinian political prisoner incarcerated in an Israeli prison.
Previously, in an unprecedented move, the Israeli Attorney General (AG) decided to indict Ghattas for the alleged offenses without first affording him a hearing, as guaranteed by law and customarily granted to public figures.
On January 5, the Attorney General submitted a notice to the Speaker of the Knesset informing that he decided to indict Ghattas, and called on the Knesset to begin the process of revoking his parliamentary immunity for purposes of indictment.
Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, on behalf of MK Ghattas, argued that the AG’s process constitutes a violation of his right to due process, and that he must withdraw his announcement and provide MK Ghattas with a hearing before deciding on whether or not to indict him, a right that was granted to Israeli public figures even in cases of alleged rape and serious finance-related charges.
Ghattas was also interrogated by police and arrested on December 22. He was detained for five days – over his Christmas holiday – followed by 10 days of house arrest, following the revocation of his parliamentary procedural immunity.
These acts of arrest, detention, the search of his home and office, and the house arrest of a sitting MK, are exceptional and unprecedented. While numerous other MKs, ministers and public figures face investigation (and eventual prosecution and punishment) in Israel, none have been treated in this severe manner and denied their right to due process.
The state used the charges against MK Ghattas for an intense campaign of delegitimization against him, as well as other Palestinian political representatives in Knesset.
News of the allegations against him was leaked to the media even before he was ever called for a police interview.
M.K.
