From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
‘Terrorist,’ ‘racist fascist’: Far-right, Arab MKs hurl insults at Knesset event on ‘Occupation to Apartheid’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA shouting match between far-right and Arab and left-wing lawmakers erupts in the Knesset, disrupting an event titled “After 54 years: From Occupation to Apartheid.”
The event is hosted by MK Aida Touma-Sliman of the opposition Joint List party and MK Mossi Raz of Meretz, a party that is a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government.
Raz’s involvement was sure to raise hackles within the coalition, which was formed under the understanding that its rightist and leftist parties would avoid contentious issues in order not to rock the boat. One of the right-wing MKs attending the event is the coalition’s Abir Kara of Bennett’s Yamina party.
During the event, representatives of various left-wing human rights groups present reports about the situation in the West Bank since 1967. The organizations include B’Tselem, Adalah, Peace Now, Yesh Din, Gisha, Breaking the Silence and Human Rights Watch.
Religious Zionism’s extremist MK Itamar Ben Gvir attends the event and hurls insults at several Arab lawmakers, calling organizers Touma-Sliman and Raz “terrorists” and “terror supporters” and shouting the same accusation at Joint List MKs Ofer Cassif and Ahmad Tibi.
Cassif retorts by saying: “Shut your mouth, you piece of shit, racist fascist.”
“Aida, you don’t condemn [it] when a soldier is murdered,” Ben Gvir shouts at Touma-Sliman. “You’re a terrorist, I’m willing to remove my [parliamentary] immunity, sue me. We’ll teach you what democracy is.”
The Times of Israel Community.