UPDATE + VIDEO. Knesset punishes Palestinian MK Zoabi for flotilla. 7 articles + Nederlands

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Intifada Palestine

By: khalid Amayreh


Palestinian women paint ships on a wall to show support for attempts to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, at the sea port in Gaza City (photo: AP)


22-7-2010
Israel is reinventing the ancient punishment of banishment, though only for Arabs, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem
As if the preponderance of discriminatory laws already swelling the Israeli legal system were not enough, the Israeli parliament — the Knesset — is slated to debate a fresh installment of anti-Arab draft laws aimed at “reasserting the Jewish nature of Israel”.

One of these draft laws, tabled by a pro- settler party called Habayt ha Yahudi, or the Jewish Home, would force all citizens and would-be citizens of Israel to declare their loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state. The draft law specifically targets Palestinians married or wishing to marry other Palestinians who are already Israeli citizens — ie Palestinians living in Israel proper.

A declaration of loyalty to “a Jewish state” is not just a procedural matter. It implies, for Arabs or others, recognition of one’s inferiority vis-à-vis Jewish citizens of the state. Indeed, the ramifications of such recognition are enormous and far-reaching.

Israel usually claims to be both a Jewish and democratic state. However, it is widely known that the “democratic” epithet is preserved for Jews, not Arabs, and that the state can’t be both “Talmudic”, as demanded by the growing Jewish religious sector, and democratic, as asserted by secular segments, given the intrinsic contradictions between the two concepts.

Democratic dismissed, the “Jewish” epithet leaves non-Jews living in Israel as a Jewish state, even if they happen to be indigenous inhabitants, estranged and unwanted, by virtue of being non-Jews. Their status as “citizens” is not owed to the laws of the land, but mainly to Jewish magnanimity and/or charity.

“This legislation [is] organised racism whereby citizenship is granted in exchange for recognition by a citizen of his inferior status as a second or third class citizen,” said Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi.

Tibi, who denounced the new draft laws as “products of a depraved mentality,” said the camp that holds power in Israel is trying to communicate a message to more than 1.5 million Arabs in Israel proper that “if you want to have your rights guaranteed and if you want to live freely and happily, then you will have to leave this country.”

Tibi responds: “But we won’t leave this country, because this country is our country. We were born here, our forefathers were born and are buried here.”

Another Arab Knesset member, Haneen Zoubi, scoffed at Israel’s notion of democracy, calling it “a joke”. “How can democracy be practised or even survive in a fascist environment?” The Knesset, Zubi said, “is becoming a fascist Jewish club, which is why it is difficult for free voices to be heard.”

Two weeks ago, Israeli Jewish MPs ganged up on Zoubi while speaking at the rostrum of the Knesset, with some extremist Jewish lawmakers calling her obscene names and even trying to drag her to the ground for defending her participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The Israeli navy brutally attacked the flotilla on 31 May, killing at least nine aid activists and injuring many, drawing angry reactions around the world.

Zoubi’s family has been living in the city of Nazareth since time immemorial. The Jewish MP who assaulted Zubi is a recent immigrant from the former Soviet Union who doesn’t even speak fluent Hebrew.

But if the Knesset is a reflection of the state of affairs permeating Israel, and if the Israeli parliament is succumbing to an extremist onslaught, Israel itself — government and society alike — is embracing what is widely now deemed “fascism” in a most cordial manner.

This week, an Israeli court in Jerusalem decided to keep Sheikh Mohamed Abu Tir in jail for refusing to leave the city of his birth. Sheikh Abu Tir, who spent more than 25 years in jail for his opposition to the Israeli occupation, was elected in 2006 as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council representing East Jerusalem. However, an Israeli judge recently issued a decree banishing Abu Tir from East Jerusalem for affiliation with a “terrorist organisation” — in reference to the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, an arm of Hamas.

Abu Tir denied that he was a member of Hamas, saying he was representing the people of Jerusalem who elected him and that he took part in an election that was okayed by Israel and closely monitored by the United States and the rest of the international community. His argument was rejected by the Israeli judge. Abu Tir was then asked to pay $95,000 in bail. He refused, prompting the Israeli authorities to return him to jail.

Abu Tir, like dozens of other Islamic lawmakers, had just spent 48 months in jail for taking part in the 2006 elections. Following his release, the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, demanded that he leave his hometown within one month. He refused to heed the order, arguing that Jerusalem was his hometown and the city of his birth, and that nothing would make him leave his hometown.

Abu Tir’s lawyer Osama Al-Saadi described the trial of his client as “political and ideological from A to Z.” “This is part of the battle over Jerusalem. They are trying to convince themselves that the Palestinians of Jerusalem are only temporary citizens who can be expelled at any time.” Al-Saadi underscored the stark discrimination against the Arab community in a state that doesn’t stop claiming to be democratic.

“Imagine a Jew who is affiliated with a terrorist organisation, or who belongs to an outlawed Jewish political party. Would he ever be banished from Israel, irrespective of the enormity of his crime?” “You see the mendacity of this slogan, that Israel is a ‘democracy’? Do democratic states expel citizens because they adhere to a different religion?

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Intifada Palestine

BBC HARDtalk: Israeli Arab Minister of Knesset Haneen Zoabi

Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi who has had her diplomatic privileges revoked by parliament has condemned what she calls the civilian ‘siege’ of Gaza. She was sanctioned this week for taking part in the Gaza flotilla convoy last month.



Haneen Zoubi was Born in Nazareth, Zoabi studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Haifa, gaining a BA, before receiving an MA in communications from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[3] She was the first Arab citizen of Israel to graduate from a media studies course there, and established the first media classes in Arab schools.[1] She also worked as a math teacher, and later served as a schools inspector for the Ministry of Education.[ Zoabi joined Balad party in 2001.[3] In 2003, she co-founded the NGO I’lam – Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel (pronounced e’e’lam). Zoabi was its general director until she resigned shortly before the 2009 election in order to focus on her political career.She entered the Knesset after the party won three seats. She became the first female Arab MK to represent an Arab party

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Huffington Post

Democracy Be Damned

By Hagai El-Ad, Executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)

"Go back to Gaza, you traitor!"
-- MK Miri Regev (Likud), in Arabic, to MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad)

19-7-2010
July 13th 2010, the day in which the Knesset revoked the parliamentary privileges of an elected member of parliament through a public humiliation spectacle, represents a black day for Israeli democracy.
The stars of this anti-democracy fest, MKs Yariv Levin, Michael Ben Ari, and Anastasia Michaeli, believed that they were shaming MK Hanin Zoabi, that they might realize their wish of expelling her from the Knesset to Gaza or, even better, to Iran. But the actual victims of this public humiliation were the diminishing trappings of democracy in Israel. It was the Knesset itself, not Zoabi, which was shamed. It is not MK Zoabi who is being expelled, but rather the hope for full civil equality of all Israeli citizens under the accepted ground rules of democracy.

For starters, one has no choice but to restate what should have been self evident: In a democracy, MKs must not be punished for fulfilling their roles as representatives of the public -- even when their positions clash with the majority view. In a democracy we are supposed to argue -- especially in the Knesset. We are meant to argue and not to silence opposing voices. In a democracy, there is an overriding priority for preserving free political expression, especially on the part of publicly elected officials. MK Zoabi was elected to the Knesset by Israeli citizens with equal rights, independent opinions and full voting privileges. As long as she broke no laws, she has every right to continue expressing her positions, regardless of vocal objections or other expressions of public outrage.

The treatment received by MK Zoabi -- public humiliation and silencing -- underscores a basic misunderstanding about the nature of democracy. In their haste to label Zoabi an "enemy of the state" and turn her into the ultimate punching bag, in their one-upmanship to see who could humiliate her the most, Israeli MKs conveniently forgot all the principles of freedom of expression and the right to dissent. But Zoabi's is just one example among many of an unprecedented trend that is unfolding before our very eyes in the current Knesset. The rules of democracy are crumbling.

One needs to look no further than the "Acceptance Committees" Law, the Naqba Law, the "Prevention of Boycotts" Law, the Cancellation of Citizenship Law, the McCarthy-like hearings of the Knesset's Education Committee regarding freedom of academic expression, and the harassment of human rights organizations to understand the day-in, day-out reality of the current Knesset, where one black day for democracy follows on the heels of another.

In the current atmosphere where freedom of expression is gradually being restricted -- in academia, on the street, and in the Knesset -- this week's anti-democratic display was perceived as a routine performance. The Knesset is no longer an arena in which the struggle for human rights can be advanced; rather, it is a place where democracy itself has become a punching bag, where the defenders of human rights are fighting to hold the defensive line.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin correctly remarked that "the revocation of rights of a Knesset member, through the exercise of the power of the majority, while the case is still being examined by the Attorney General, cannot remain the private business of the Knesset." Indeed, if the Knesset -- the supposed stronghold of democracy - abuses its role, it is not a private matter. It is a matter of interest for all citizens: it is our business.

What is now needed of Israel's citizens, who gaze despairingly as their elected officials pull the democratic rug out from under their feet? We must stand up and choose the appropriate arenas in which to fight, to protect the basis of democracy that still exists and to create a space for democracy where it is lacking. The opportunities to do so -- through direct citizen involvement steeped in democratic vision -- lie there before us. We can become involved in the struggle for the children of migrant workers; protest against the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah; we can demonstrate against the exploitation of workers by greedy employers, or march for LGBT equality in Jerusalem; we can demonstrate for a woman's right to carry a Torah scroll at the Western Wall, or for her right to refuse sitting at the back of the bus; we can protest against the separation regime and the occupation, take part in the struggle for equal rights for all, and demonstrate with our feet in the annual Human Rights March in December.

This week featured yet another black day for democracy, one of many in this period that began somewhere between Operation Cast Lead and the openly racist election campaign soon after. But yet another black day is no reason for despair; rather it must strengthen our resolve. We have seen the precipice that our elected officials are leading us toward, and we must not allow them to bequeath to us their vision of the future. This is not a fate decreed by the heavens, and it is within our power to prevent it.

If enough Israelis refuse to remain silent, if enough Israelis insist today upon freedom of speech for those with whom they disagree so that tomorrow their own freedom of speech will be protected, if enough Israelis want to build together a future of equality, democracy and human rights -- then it will become a reality. The realization of this vision lies solely in our hands.

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HLN, Belgie

Knesset trekt privileges Arabisch parlementslid in

De Knesset, het Israëlische parlement, heeft vandaag met 34 tegen 16 gestemd voor de intrekking van drie parlementaire privileges van Hanin Zuabi, een Arabisch parlementslid. Reden is de deelname van Zuabi aan de vloot die eind mei hulpgoederen wilde brengen naar de Gazastrook. Volgens Zuabi wordt ze gestraft uit wraak.
 
Zuabi reageerde niet verrast op de beslissing: "Het is niet verwonderlijk dat een land dat de fundamentele rechten van zijn Arabische burgers afneemt, ook de privileges intrekt van een lid van de Knesset dat haar electoraal loyaal vertegenwoordigt." Volgens Zuabi gaat het om een gevaarlijk precedent tegenover Israëlisch-Arabische burgers. (afp/ypu)
14/07/10 15u50

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Fok.nl

Parlementen wereldwijd kritisch op Israël

15-7-2010
De Inter-Parlementaire Unie heeft Israël en twintig andere landen bekritiseerd voor de wijze waarop deze landen hun parlementariërs behandelen. De IPU vertegenwoordigt parlementen wereldwijd.

De IPU drong er donderdag bij Israël op aan de Palestijnse parlementariërs Mohammed Abu Teir, Mohammed Totah en Ahmed Abu Atoun niet te deporteren. De drie zouden banden onderhouden met Hamas, maar Rosario Green van de IPU zegt dat uitzetting schending van hun mensenrechten zou betekenen.

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Ha'aretz

Israeli Knesset Revokes Arab MK Zuabi’s Privileges over Gaza FLOTILLA

In 34-16 vote, Knesset approves stripping Zuabi of three parliamentary privileges over participation in Gaza flotilla; Zuabi: Knesset is punishing me out of vengeance.

By Jonathan Lis

13-7-2010
The Knesset on Tuesday voted to revoke three parliamentary privileges from Arab MK Hanin Zuabi (Balad) due to her participation in the aid flotilla that sailed to Gaza in late May.

Thirty-four lawmakers voted in favor of stripping Zuabi’s privileges and 16 voted against, after a heated debate, in which Zuabi accused her fellow lawmakers of punishing her out of vengeance.

Zuabi responded to the Knesset vote by saying, “It’s not surprising that a country that strips the fundamental rights of its Arab citizens would revoke the privileges of a Knesset member who loyally represents her electorate.”

Zuabi went on to say that the vote represents a dangerous precedent with regard to Israel’s Arab citizens and is a hostile message toward her. She went on to accuse Israeli parliamentarians of implementing racist laws in order to repress their Arab counterparts.

“In a civilized country, the people who incite against and threaten MK Zuabi would be punished and have sanctions imposed against them,” the lawmaker said.

Zuabi said she will seek legal and international aid in order to “rein in the vengeful tendencies of the automatic majority in the Knesset.”

The Knesset’s House Committee last week recommended revoking Zuabi’s privileges after she participated in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which resulted in an IDF raid that killed nine activists.

“You are punishing me out of vengeance,” Zuabi told fellow parliamentarians during the hearing. “When you threaten the Arab MKs and the Arabs’ protectors, you threaten democracy and co-existence between Jews and Arabs.”

“I have the right and the duty to fight for my rights and my values,” she continued, adding that “my positions are often different from those of the Likud, Kadima and most of the MKs. That’s why I don’t represent Kadima, the Labor Party or the Likud, but those who voted for me and in my case I represent the consensus of the Arab MKs.”

“You have no freedom of choice with regards to the rules of democracy,” Zuabi added. “There are fixed rules that do not change at whim. You do not need to protect democracy, but to protect me for democracy’s sake.”

Last week the Knesset committee recommended rescinding from Zuabi three key privileges, one of which is the privilege to exit the country – meant to prevent Zoabi from fleeing Israel if she commits a felony or has debts in Israel.

Another privilege to be rescinded is carrying a diplomatic passport, which according to the Knesset’s legal adviser, is a privilege that does not grant diplomatic immunity so revoking it would not make it more difficult for Zuabi to fulfill her duties.

The third privilege is the right to have the Knesset cover litigation fees of an MK if he or she faces trial.

MK Yariv Levin (Likud), chairman of the Knesset committee that decided on rescinding her privileges, told Zuabi that she doesn’t belong in the Knesset.

“You have no place in the Israeli Knesset, you are unworthy of holding an Israeli ID and you embarrass the citizens of Israel, the Knesset, the Arab population and your family,” he said.

Meanwhile, MK Anastassia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu) was escorted out of the hall after she handed Zuabi a lookalike Iranian passport with a photograph of her in it, saying that it will serve her on her diplomatic incitement trips.

“In every civilized country, a member of parliament who crosses the red line and identifies with the enemy and arming the enemy with weapons of mass destruction aimed at destroying his country’s national foundations will not find in his pocket a diplomatic passport of the country he aims to destroy,” Michaeli said.

“Ms. Zuabi, I take your loyalty to Iran seriously and I suggest you contact [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad and ask him to give you an Iranian diplomatic passport that will assist you with all your diplomatic incitement tours, because your Israeli passport will be revoked this evening,” she added and proceeded to hand Zuabi a lookalike Iranian passport that she had produced for her.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) interrupted Levin and said that the Knesset plenum was not the platform to express his personal feelings but rather the committee’s decision.

Rivlin said: “I was not happy with Hanin Zuabi’s actions, but if she broke an Israeli law may the Attorney General, who was solely and unequivocally given the power to decide, rise and press charges against her.”

“We, as Knesset members, were chosen due to our beliefs. Today it is in our favor, and tomorrow it might not be; there is a complex ideological struggle between what was once left and right,” Rivlin said, adding, “I believe that everyone should have the right to speak their minds, even if what they say hurts me.”

The House Committee decision to recommend the rescinding of Zuabi’s privileges was passed by a majority of seven to one, with MK Ilan Gilon of Meretz opposing.

The Balad party condemned the Knesset committee decision calling it “racist and anti-democratic.”

“The MKs who incite against Zuabi spill her blood – they are calling on the public to harm her and following their decision, her life will be threatened,” Balad said in a statement.  “These MKs will be responsible for any harm that may be caused to her.”

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Palestine Note

13-7-2010
Washington – The Knesset voted Tuesday to revoke diplomatic privileges from Palestinian-Israeli MK Hanin Zoabi over her participation in the May 31 flotilla, Haaretz reported.

With a 34-16 vote in favor of the measure, Zoabi loses three main privileges afforded all members of the Knesset. Most importantly, Zoabi will be barred from leaving the country, which supporters of the measure say will prevent her from fleeing charges that might be brought against her over her actions.

Zoabi denounced the vote, accusing her fellow lawmakers of acting purely out of vengeance. "It's not surprising that a country that strips the fundamental rights of its Arab citizens would revoke the privileges of a Knesset member who loyally represents her electorate."

Zoabi represents the predominantly Palestinian Balad party and was the first woman representative for her party.

Zoabi continued her condemnation, saying the vote represented a dangerous precedent for Israel’s Palestinian citizens. She also accused Israeli legislators of implementing racist laws against the country’s minority Palestinian population.

"In a civilized country, the people who incite against and threaten [me] would be punished and have sanctions imposed against them,” Zoabi said in the report. "When you threaten the Arab MKs and the Arabs' protectors, you threaten democracy and co-existence between Jews and Arabs."

MK Yariv Levin (Likud), chairman of the committee that voted to rescind Zoabi’s privileges, defamed Zoabi for her actions. "You have no place in the Israeli Knesset, you are unworthy of holding an Israeli ID and you embarrass the citizens of Israel, the Knesset, the Arab population and your family," Levin said.

Another lawmaker, MK Anastassia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu), confronted Zoabi following the decision. One of the privileges now denied Zoabi is her diplomatic passport. Mocking her for this, Michaeli handed Zoabi a fake Iranian passport with her photo in it. "In every civilized country, a member of parliament who crosses the red line and identifies with the enemy and arming the enemy with weapons of mass destruction aimed at destroying his country's national foundations will not find in his pocket a diplomatic passport of the country he aims to destroy," Michaeli said. She went on to call Zoabi loyal to Iran and Iran President Ahmadinejad.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) interrupted Michaeli and Levin to stop the attacks. Rivlin has opposed the move to revoke Zoabi’s privileges from the beginning, insisting instead that any decisions should be left to the Attorney General, who has not yet made any ruling as to the illegality of Zoabi’s actions. Rivlin moved to hush the Knesset’s jeering. "I believe that everyone should have the right to speak their minds,” said Rivlin, “even if what they say hurts me."

The Balad party has condemned the move as “racist and anti-democratic.”

Zoabi closed her remarks to her critics with an appeal to democracy. "You have no freedom of choice with regards to the rules of democracy," Zoabi said. "There are fixed rules that do not change at whim. You do not need to protect democracy, but to protect me for democracy's sake."

Above: The Knesset in session in Jerusalem. [WikiMedia]

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PressTV

Israel 'takes revenge' on own politician

Hanin Zuabi

13-7-2010
Knesset, the Israeli parliament approves stripping an Arab Israeli lawmaker of her privileges for her joining the Gaza-bound relief convoy, Freedom Flotilla.

The Knesset voted in favor of the decision which saw Hanin Zuabi losing her diplomatic passport and the right to subsidized legal counsel in case of a prosecution, wrote Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.

Zuabi denounced the Knesset for "punishing [her] out of revenge," saying the Israeli parliament "has no idea what democracy is…."

She went on to say, "I represent my views, my party's views, and the views of all the Arab members of the Knesset."

However, a member of the Likud party, Yariv Levin, told her that "you don't have a place in the Knesset," and "you do not deserve Israeli citizenship."

She was among the hundreds of humanitarian campaigners to join the fleet on a mission to break the Tel Aviv-imposed siege of Gaza.

Israeli commandos attacked the activists on May 31, killing nine Turks among them.

The assault sent shockwaves across the world and gave rise to global calls for an international investigation into the incident — a demand Israel has rejected.

Following the international outcry, Tel Aviv said it would ease the land blockade on Gaza while keeping the naval surveillance strictly in order.

Zuabi said last month that the announcement of intentions to relax the restrictions "proves that it is not a security blockade, but a political one."

Palestinians, meanwhile, say the situation inside the impoverished enclave has not improved, confirming that restrictions continue to deprive 1.5 million Gazans of food, fuel and other necessities.

HN/MMA

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