Ben Gvir calls Arab lawmakers ‘terrorists’ from Knesset rostrum, triggering melee

Knesset members charge at podium as far-right minister repeatedly shouts ‘Out!’ at them; ushers attempt to prevent physical altercation, with Likud MK nearly knocking one down

Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.

Screen capture from video of a scuffle in the Knesset between right-wing and Arab lawmakers, July 18, 2024. (X. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Screen capture from video of a scuffle in the Knesset between right-wing and Arab lawmakers, July 18, 2024. (X. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A raucous scuffle broke out in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called Arab lawmakers “terrorists” from the podium, prompting them to charge toward him and shout him down.

As Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Roth (United Torah Judaism) implored Ben Gvir to desist, the far-right minister continued to goad the Arab lawmakers while MKs from the ruling Likud party rushed to physically block the advance of their Arab counterparts.

Knesset ushers struggled to keep the sides apart, with one nearly knocked off his feet by Likud’s Hanoch Milwidsky, who along with MK Nissim Vaturi charged toward the Arab lawmakers.

Right-wing activists frequently accuse Arab lawmakers of backing terror due to their support for Palestinian nationalism.

The mayhem began when Ben Gvir, addressing the plenum, accused Arabs MKs Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi of the Hadash-Ta’al party of being “terrorists.”

As they protested, he shouted: “Out, out, out, all the terrorists out,” using language that echoed extreme-right ideology that says Arabs should be forced to leave the country.

Odeh and his fellow party member MK Youssef Atauna charged at the podium, with Tibi also rallying against Ben Gvir.

Roth, who was presiding over the session, repeatedly called on Ben Gvir to “not use such words.”

“It was unnecessary to use that word,” Roth said, threatening to remove Ben Gvir from the podium.

“Do they condemn the murder of soldiers?” Ben Gvir shouted at Roth. “Do they condemn hostage-taking and terror?”

Knesset ushers stepped in to block the lawmakers from reaching the podium, while Likud MKs Milwidsky and Vaturi joined the fray, accosting the Arab lawmakers. At one point, the furious Milwidsky almost pulled a Knesset usher to the ground as he pushed to reach the Arab MKs.

With Arab MKs shouting at him from below the podium, Ben Gvir retorted, “Barra, barra,” the Arabic phrase for “Get out.”

Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik said later at a meeting of the Knesset House Committee that Roth should have removed Ben Gvir from the podium.

“The chairman of the session was authorized and even obligated to remove Minister Ben Gvir from the podium due to the use of the term ‘terrorists’ to refer to the Arab members of the Knesset. I am sorry that MK Moshe Roth, who presided over the session, did not do so, because this is a serious ethical offense.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 11, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Responding to Afik in a statement, Ben Gvir accused her of bias.

“I did not hear the legal adviser of the Knesset call for the removal of the members of the Knesset who called me a terrorist, criminal, fascist and dozens of other derogatory words. It is to be regretted that the attitude of the legal adviser is discriminatory.”

In fact, Ben Gvir himself has been convicted of terror-related crimes.

In 2008, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Ben Gvir of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization over a placard he held reading “Arabs out” following a Palestinian terror attack in Jerusalem and anti-Arab signs he had in his car that referred to the far-right Kach movement, a Jewish group that was banned as a terror organization.

Ben Gvir has been indicted dozens of times, mostly for disturbing the peace, though he was exonerated in almost all the cases.

Earlier Wednesday, Odeh called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the biggest terrorist here” when the premier was addressing the Knesset. Odeh was removed from the hall.

On Monday, Ben Gvir caused uproar in the plenum when he called opposition Labor party MK Naama Lazimi a “criminal,” apparently over her participation in anti-government protests that have included illegal blocking of highways.

His remarks set off a shouting match that saw four lawmakers removed from the hall, as Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen tried to restore order.

The heated Knesset exchanges came against the background of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip that was started by the Palestinian terror group Hamas with its devastating October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas and free 251 hostages who were abducted by terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.

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