From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Lawmakers slam Arab MK for saying he’s ‘happy for release of the hostages and prisoners’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh draws criticism from Israeli lawmakers across the political spectrum after saying he was “happy for the release of the hostages and prisoners” as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“From here we must free both peoples from the yoke of occupation. We were all born free,” the longtime leader of the country’s main Arab political bloc posts on X.
The first phase of the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal provides for a total of 33 captives to be released over 42 days in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murder.
“Anyone who rejoiced over the release of child-murdering terrorists belongs in prison, not in the Knesset,” replies Culture Minister Miki Zohar.
“Comparing hostages who were snatched from their beds and held in harsh conditions to the scum of the earth…exposes the hypocrisy and disgustingness of those who make this sick comparison,” Likud MK Eliyahu Revivo posted on X.
