Brother of hostage stages sit-in after being barred from Knesset, joined by Labor MKs

By Sam Sokol 15 July 2024, 2:01 pm

1 Edit

Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Labor party leader Yair Golan holds a press conference outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, on July 15, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Only a week after being forcibly removed from a Knesset committee meeting, the brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat stages a sit-in at the entrance to the Knesset alongside several Labor MKs to protest not being allowed back into the building.

Returning to the legislature at the invitation of Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy, Danny Elgarat is stopped by Knesset security and sits down next to a door. He is soon joined by Labor chairman Yair Golan and MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi — who block passage through the security checkpoint and appeal to members of the opposition to take part in their protest.

“After being forcibly removed from the Rothman committee last week, Danny Elgarat is not allowed to enter the Knesset today. Is this the attitude toward kidnapped families? This is the attitude towards those whom the state has abandoned,” tweets Golan.

Sitting at the Knesset entrance, Elgarat states that he was told he needs to draft a letter of apology and commit not to disrupt Knesset proceedings before being allowed to return to parliament.

הסירוב של משמר הכנסת להכניס את דני אלגרט, אחיו של החטוף איציק אלגרט, לכנסת מגיע מלמעלה. מגיע הישר ממי שרוצים כנסת נאמנת שלטון שלא ישמעו בה דברי אמת וביקורת על המחדל וההפקרה.

במדינה מתוקנת, משפחות חטופים לא צריכות להיאבק בשביל להחזיר את היקרים להן ולא צריכים להתחייב מראש להשמיע… pic.twitter.com/CySFOh9KBb

— ???? Naama Lazimi – נעמה לזימי (@naamalazimi) July 15, 2024

Last Monday, Knesset guards on Monday forcibly dragged Elgarat out of a meeting of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman on the orders of chairman Simcha Rothman after he interrupted the brother of another abductee speaking out against the latest hostage agreement being negotiated between Israel and Hamas.

After Rothman ordered Elgarat’s removal, the latter refused to move, yelling that he would not comply and was dragged out of the room. He was subsequently photographed receiving medical attention while lying facedown in a Knesset hallway.

This is the second time that Elgarat has been blocked from returning to the Knesset since the incident.

Two days after he was removed, Elgarat came back but was refused entry.