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Monday, July 14, 2025
Ahead of expulsion vote, Odeh calls for opposition to stand with him, build ‘Arab-Jewish coalition against fascism’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
At a faction meeting in the Knesset, leaders of the majority Arab Hadash-Ta’al party sharply criticize the push to oust party chair Ayman Odeh from the Knesset, calling the effort racist and anti-democratic, and framing it as part of a broader battle over the future of Israeli democracy.
Odeh, who is facing a vote on his dismissal in the Knesset later today, compares the struggle to the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, whose anniversary is marked today.
“Just as the French won at the Bastille, we will win our Bastille,” he declares, appealing for the other opposition parties to vote against his ouster.
“There is a real opportunity here to build a wide Arab-Jewish coalition against fascism and occupation,” he says. “Will fascism succeed in conquering the center, or will we succeed in recruiting it to stand with us?”
“This is a fight between democracy and fascism, equality and oppression, between those who think only one people can live between the river and the sea instead of two,” Odeh says, urging allies to “strengthen, widen and deepen our coalition on the basis of equality and shared values.”
MK Ahmad Tibi, who heads the Ta’al faction of the party, calls the impeachment effort “a racist and anti-democratic process,” and slams the expected attempt from the government to push the vote through, despite the Haredi United Torah Judaism party saying it will not vote on the matter.
“The Haredi parties won’t vote in favor,” Tibi says. “If the Haredim aren’t going to vote, why should even one Yesh Atid or National Unity MK vote for this racist process?”
Shas, unlike UTJ, announced earlier today that it will vote in favor of expelling Odeh from the Knesset.
Tibi slams the push to oust Odeh as deeply hypocritical, pointing out that some of the very ministers condemning him, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have themselves called to “flatten” Gaza and worse.
“Those who have condemned [Odeh] have also called for the murder of children, to destroy Gaza, etc.,” he says, arguing that the effort to oust the Hadash-Ta’al leader is rooted in racism.
The Times of Israel Community.