In this undated photo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with Leader of the Zionist Union party Isaac Herzog (C) and Leader of the Joint (Arab) List, Ayman Odeh in the Knesset. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The governing coalition in Israel led by the Likud Party will shun the parliamentary activities of the Joint Arab List over its decision to not send any representatives to the funeral of former President Shimon Peres.
The boycott of the 13-member coalition of Arab parties, the fourth largest delegation in the Knesset, was initiated by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu Party, and supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Joint Arab List head Ayman Odeh explained at the time of the funeral two weeks ago that the issue was “complicated.”
“The memory of Peres in the Arab public is different from the narrative discussed in recent years,” he tweeted.
His party also did not issue a statement following Peres’s death nor send representatives to pay respects at Peres’s coffin lying in state in front of the Knesset the day before the funeral.
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US President Barack Obama (C) speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) as he sits next to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (L) during the funeral of former Israeli president Shimon Peres on September 30, 2016, at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl national cemetery.(AFP PHOTO / POOL / RONEN ZVULUN)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and a delegation of Palestinian leaders did attend the funeral.
Liberman called for a boycott of all Joint List appearances and speeches before the Knesset. He called the party’s actions surrounding Peres’s death a “red line.”
“Liberman’s initiatives to harm the political representation of Arab citizens only strengthen us, just like his fear-mongering only makes the Joint List greater,” Odeh said according to the Jerusalem Post. “We will continue acting in all arenas, including the parliamentary one, to promote peace and equality.”
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