Opposition MKs rap PM at near-empty emergency session on extremism

Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday raked the government over the coals for allowing Jewish extremists to run rampant within Israeli society, speaking at an emergency session in the Knesset called after two deadly attacks last week.

Knesset members also rapped coalition lawmakers for being largely absent from the Knesset meeting, and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what they said was his silence on the issue.

The session was punctuated by shouting matches that echoed through the largely empty plenum between opposition MKs and the few coalition members that showed up to the session.

The meeting was called by opposition lawmakers in response to last week’s fatal attacks allegedly by Jewish extremists.

On Thursday, an ultra-Orthodox man stabbed six people at the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem, killing one. On Friday, two houses were firebombed in the Palestinian West Bank village of Duma, allegedly by Jewish settlers, killing an infant and injuring three other members of the same family.

Joint (Arab) List Knesset member Ahmad Tibi called the perpetrators of the firebombing attack that killed the Palestinian child “Jewish neo-Nazis” and termed the attack “Kristallnacht.”

He also blamed government policy for allowing the murder to take place.

“They’ve already burned Palestinian homes on 15 occasions and were not caught. This heinous murder won’t be the last, because the policy won’t change,” he said.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the sole government representative present at the meeting, criticized the opposition for being one-sided and reacting only to attacks against Arabs and not to those against Jews.

“Every evening and every morning I receive the reports of the Molotov cocktails thrown at Jewish houses in East Jerusalem and cars on Route 443 [in the West Bank]. I don’t remember hearing you condemn this… I don’t remember any one condemning or being outraged due to the incitement or encouragement to Arab terror,” he said.

As Erdan spoke, a ruckus broke out as opposition members repeatedly interrupted him.

Erdan also criticized the opposition for not addressing anti-gay and anti-women attitudes within the Arab parties, accusing Arab politicians of seeking “political capital.”

Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid criticized the many MKs who were not present at the event, addressing the chairs of the absent politicians. “In each of them there is a deserter of the war that is being waged in Israeli society,” he said.

“In the fire that annihilated the body of Ali Dawabsha, an innocent baby, there will be the eternal flame of the people who decided not to be an empty chair right now,” he added.

Zionist Union MK Stav Shaffir posted a photo of the empty auditorium on Twitter, writing that “it would have been fitting that all were here today. Especially @netanyahu.”

In response, Yisrael Beytenu MK Sharon Gal questioned the sincerity of the meeting, calling it “a performance.”

בדיון חירום על פשעי השנאה אין נציג מהבית היהודי ומהמפלגות החרדיות. היה ראוי שכולם יהיו פה היום. בעיקר @netanyahu pic.twitter.com/jCec82KmUp

— סתיו שפיר Stav Shaffir ???????? (@StavShaffir) August 4, 2015

Zionist Union MK Erel Margalit blamed hateful political rhetoric for the attacks. “Already for a long time Knesset members compete among themselves over who is more extreme in incitement against Arabs, against LGBT [people], who is more patriotic in silencing the left, who is more right wing in criticizing the Supreme Court and the rule of law,” he said.

“Hate has become the political and societal reality of our lives,” Margalit added.