Proceedings to expel MK Ayman Odeh from the Israeli Knesset will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, over his pro-Gaza statements.
Proceedings to oust MK Odeh, who heads the Arab Front for Change bloc, began at the initiative of Likud MK Avichai Booron, who issued a statement announcing that he had collected the signatures of 68 MKs on a petition calling for Odeh's expulsion from the Knesset following his statements in support of Gaza and prisoners in Israeli detention centers.
The bill to oust MK Odeh requires the support of 90 of the 120 Knesset members to pass. If the bill is approved, the MK can appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court, which will rule on the matter.
Commenting on the exclusion proceedings being held despite the procedures and restrictions imposed during wartime, Odeh said, "The irony is that Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana issued strict instructions that the only topic discussed by all Knesset bodies is the war and its consequences. Yet the Knesset is also determined to discuss an exclusionary topic."
Awda continued: "Of course, I will stand with my head held high, defending our humanitarian positions and attacking their fascist positions."
He added, "I have been expressing the positions of my people and those of conscience for decades. This position has not and will not change. What has changed, however, is the extent of the fascist right-wing shift in the State of Israel."
Awda said, "Just as Arab citizens have been removed from their jobs, Arab students have been dismissed from universities, and Arabs are barred from entering shelters... this is what they are doing to me, as one of the sons of this people, clinging to the flames of survival and the flames of a national, humanitarian stance."
He concluded: "I accuse them of killing tens of thousands in Gaza, and of destroying hospitals, universities, and all aspects of life. They are the ones accused! We insist on our positions, which represent the real alternative for both peoples to live without occupation and war, while achieving rights and peace."
شارك برأيك
The Israeli Knesset is considering measures to remove MK Ayman Odeh.