Knesset speaker slams Arab MK for attending event held by terror groups

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein joins criticism of MK Ayman Odeh for attending a conference hosted by two Palestinian terror groups, saying he will file a complaint against the Joint (Arab) List chairman with the Knesset Ethics Committee.

“This morning I saw a video of MK Odeh participating in a event inciting terrorism, and I was ashamed – as the speaker of the Knesset and as a citizen of Israel,” Edelstein says in a statement.

The conference in East Jerusalem, which was organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was shuttered by police after an injunction was issued by the Jerusalem police chief.

The PFLP and DFLP, both components of the Palestine Liberation Organization, are responsible for a number of deadly terror attacks in Israel over the years.

“We cannot have a public official, elected to represent the Israel-Arab population, effectively representing terror organizations and inciting violence,” Edelstein adds. “There is not place for inciters in the Knesset.”

Earlier, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called for a criminal investigation to be opened against Odeh over his participation in the event.

— Raoul Wootliff