Knesset to vote on expelling Arab MK Ayman Odeh on July 14

The Knesset will vote on the expulsion of Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh on July 14 following a debate in the plenum, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana informs lawmakers.

Members of the Knesset House Committee voted 14-2 on Monday in favor of impeaching the Arab lawmaker, paving the way for the matter to be referred to the Knesset plenum, where 90 MKs will have to vote in favor of ousting Odeh from the parliament for it to pass.

At issue in the impeachment hearings was a statement Odeh made earlier this year that appeared to equate Israeli hostages held in Gaza by terrorists with Palestinian security prisoners held in Israel.

The Arab lawmaker had posted on X that he was “happy for the release of the hostages and prisoners” under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Odeh later defended his statement, characterizing the released Palestinian prisoners as minors and insisting that “most of the prisoners released that day were not charged with anything at all.”

Odeh has called the effort to expel him from the Knesset an attempt to silence Arab Israelis. Taking to X ahead of Ohana’s announcement, Odeh posted a cartoon of himself walking out of the Knesset with a box of his possessions while an armed settler waves goodbye.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” he wrote, quoting Psalm 23:4.

גַּם כִּי אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת לֹא אִירָא רָע. pic.twitter.com/YyWcGIsKyf

— איימן עודה أيمن عودة Ayman Odeh (@AyOdeh) July 2, 2025

The coalition does not have enough votes in the plenum to expel Odeh without the support of members of the opposition. Representatives of the Blue and White and Yesh Atid parties voted to impeach earlier this week.

Speaking with The Times of Israel, a Yesh Atid source says that the party’s lawmakers will be free to vote as they see fit. Blue and White has yet to announce its position.