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Last update - 13:59 24/03/2008
The vision of an Arab-free Knesset
By Shahar Ilan
Tags: Israel, Zevulun Orlev 

MK Zevulun Orlev's rage was not provoked by last week's pogrom at Jabel Mukkaber, where right-wing protesters attempted to storm the house of the terrorist behind the Mercaz Harav attack; rather, the National Religious Party lawmaker's anger was sparked by a remark made by Balad chairman MK Jamal Zahalka, who claimed Jerusalem was occupied land and that he refused to recognize a law stating otherwise. "If each member of the Knesset decides which laws to recognize on an individual basis, then you will be the first to suffer," he informed Zahalka, "and I will see to that personally."

Truth be told: As a member of a party that supports illegal outposts, Zevulun would be best advised to keep a low profile on the subject of the rule of law. But what really matters in this story is the new habit of threatening Arab Knesset members; the dizzying increase in incitement, curses and insults leveled at them, a spike that has gone almost without protest or the involvement of the Knesset Ethics Committee.

The main reason behind this wave of vitriol is, probably, Yisrael Beiteinu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman's belief that elections are in the offing. After the Mercaz Harav attack, Lieberman told Arab MKs that the current government is full of "weaklings. "Believe you me it's temporary, and you're temporary," he said. "Another government will come and take care of you just like the Kuwaiti government takes care of things." Kuwait's government, according to Lieberman, plans to expel all the participants in a memorial for slain Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah.
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Of course, the National Union Party could not afford to trail behind, so its leader MK Effie Eitam made this promise to Arab MKs the day after a protest in the Israeli Arab town of Umm al-Fahm against Israel Defense Force activities. "A day will come when we will drive you out of this house [the Knesset] and from the national home of the Jewish people," he said. Usage of words like "fifth column," "enemies" and "traitors" has become an inseparable part of Knesset routine.

Meanwhile, right-wing MKs are pushing a number of bills aimed at making the Knesset off-limits to Arab lawmakers. Orlev and Yisrael Beiteinu's Esterina Tartman have introduced two separate bills that would disqualify people who visited enemy states from being an MK. Arab lawmakers consider visits to Arab states an inseparable part of their job. Hadash chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh said: "If we are given a choice of being faithful to our people or being in the Knesset, then I bid the Knesset farewell. I don't want it." Zahalka said: "At the current rate of legislation, the Knesset will be Arab-free."

Yet other bills introduced by Orlev and David Rotem of Yisrael Beiteinu aim to force all MKs to pledge their allegiance to the State of Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state." Rotem, who has gathered signatures from 22 MKs to support his bill, including a few from Kadima and the Pensioners' Party, also suggests that MKs vow to support Israeli symbols and values. Israel, says Barakeh, uses its Arab Knesset members as a mask for its democracy. If the bill for pledging allegiance passes, "the mask will fall and the real face [of Israeli democracy] will be revealed. You will only have Zionist Arabs [in the Knesset]."

These bills by Orlev, Tartman and Rotem represent an intolerable notion that some MKs are more equal than others; that some are more acceptable than others, and that those who are worth less need to be cast out. Behind it is a completely misconceived view that Orlev and Lieberman are more entitled to be Knesset members than Zahalka or Barakeh.

To put it into perspective, calls for expulsion or a population transfer are heard on a weekly basis in this Knesset, and nobody tries to remove those who utter them from the parliament. A Knesset that is so adamant in upholding the right's freedom of speech can also house MKs who visit enemy states, and who believe Israel is carrying out war crimes in Gaza just as grave as the Mercaz Harav attack.

Let there be no doubt, Barakeh is right. Israeli democracy benefits from including representatives of the Arab public. Those who seek to cast them out will engender a process which, in a short period of time, could lead to the formation of an Israeli Arab parliament, calling for autonomy or an uprising in Israel. Understandably, Lieberman and his followers in Yisrael Beiteinu are not averse to this: Demand for their politics will only grow as the situation worsens. But the rest of the Knesset - including the National Union Party - should and must be made to stop this process of self-mutilation.
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  1.   They should be branded as traitors to their country. 10:38  |  Steve 24/03/08
  2.   To Steve they are loyal to their counry 10:49  |  Lobo08 24/03/08
  3.   People are people.... 10:56  |  Another Steve 24/03/08
  4.   Some laughs to ease the nerves! 12:09  |  Rozz 24/03/08
  5.   From "more to follow" ..... 12:14  |  Rozz 24/03/08
  6.   #1: Traitors or patriots? 12:28  |  just another jew 24/03/08
  7.   You were equally tolerant of Kahane, right? 12:29  |  Elder of Ziyon 24/03/08
  8.   Follow up from previous ..... 12:30  |  Rozz 24/03/08
  9.   Who to oust from the knesset 12:41  |  Tzfonit 24/03/08
  10.   This is very worrying 13:32  |  Mike 24/03/08
  11.   If only the present Arab Knesset members were not fifth columnist 13:38  |  David 24/03/08
  12.   What Arab countries have Jews in government? 13:52  |  Nannette 24/03/08
  13.   Wrong: Arabs do not benefit democracy 14:20  |  Gene 24/03/08
  14.   #11 And what is the relevancy of that argument? 14:32  |  just a jew 24/03/08
  15.   It`s high time Israel stopped tolerating treason. 14:32  |  Chaim 24/03/08
  16.   sorry: post #14 referred to response #12 14:51  |  just a jew 24/03/08
  17.   Any other country wouldn`t stand for this? 15:00  |  Yonatan 24/03/08
  18.   ALL OF ISRAEL SUPPORTS "ILLEGAL OUTPOSTS" AKA JEWISH LAND! 15:11  |  Nancy 24/03/08
  19.   The dangerous vision of a Jew-free Arab Parliaments 15:24  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/03/08
  20.   I am yet to see 15:34  |  daniel 24/03/08
  21.   Racism in the Knesset 16:07  |  Miriam 24/03/08
  22.   Part of A Process-From Word to Action 16:18  |  Yaakov Sullivan 24/03/08
  23.   this is not racist 16:53  |  PS 24/03/08
  24.   I have no idea 17:00  |  American Christian 24/03/08
  25.   Israel has no constitution 18:28  |  Mark 24/03/08
  26.   Shahar Ilan, there is never a better arab than the... 20:11  |  misha 24/03/08
  27.   misha as a slav has inherited the nazi ideology 20:31  |  Yaakov Sullivan 24/03/08
  28.   Sheerest Nonsese 20:31  |  Scharker Yid 24/03/08
  29.   # 24 American Christian / I 20:41  |  Bob 24/03/08
  30.   # 24 American Christian / II 20:43  |  Bob 24/03/08
  31.   Bob, #29 the answer is simple 20:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 24/03/08
  32.   # 27 You got it right, saleyman, however 21:00  |  misha 24/03/08
  33.   To Yaakov Sullivan and the likes... 21:08  |  misha 24/03/08
  34.   # 22 To Yaakov Sullivan and the likes... 21:09  |  misha 24/03/08
  35.   misha, do you believe in mass murder? Yes or No? 22:01  |  Yakov Sullivan 24/03/08
  36.   Well, that means no, saleyman... 22:40  |  misha 24/03/08
  37.   # 32 Yes, Saleyman I do believe in the mass murder of those... 22:54  |  misha 24/03/08
  38.   # 32 Well, that means no, saleyman... 22:57  |  misha 24/03/08
  39.   Israeli citizens are citizens: Arab MKs are MKs 23:09  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 24/03/08
  40.   #17 Don`t charge others with ignorance, check yourself 23:26  |  David 24/03/08
  41.   Naneette #12 23:41  |  Answer 24/03/08
  42.   # 39 Arabs do not belong in Israel, and you know that... 23:43  |  misha 24/03/08
  43.   #38 Poor little misha the soviet nazi 00:02  |  Labhras 25/03/08
  44.   Yaakov and Misha 00:06  |  Ilya 25/03/08
  45.   Yaakov and Misha 00:06  |  Ilya 25/03/08
  46.   in all other western states they have such laws so why not Israel 00:12  |  zionist forever 25/03/08
  47.   Democracy in wartime 00:13  |  Ilya 25/03/08
  48.   #17 Delusional to compare Israeli Arab parties to French Cdn. .. 00:13  |  Chaim 25/03/08
  49.   21 00:27  |  zionist forever 25/03/08
  50.   If 84% of Palestinian Muslims support mass-murder of Jews ... 00:38  |  Joe 25/03/08
  51.   Jewish legal tradition can accommodate pluralism 00:47  |  Haldrik 25/03/08
  52.   With Shahar Ilan` Types Say Goodby to Israel as Jewish State 00:59  |  Joseph . E 25/03/08
  53.   so strange but that`s the beauty of Israeli democracy 01:34  |  Sari 25/03/08
  54.   "You will only have Zionist Arabs [in the Knesset]" 02:05  |  Haldrik 25/03/08
  55.   Christians and Muslims get out? 03:21  |  Schaam 25/03/08
  56.   #17 Yonatan from TLV - Idiot! 04:05  |  Gary S. 25/03/08
  57.   nobody is against Arabs, but some are against traitors... 04:12  |  felix 25/03/08
  58.   #37 A quick question for misha 04:20  |  Johnboy 25/03/08
  59.   Arab-Israeli MK`s don`t represent their voters 04:28  |  Gary S. 25/03/08
  60.   What is Slowman doing in the supermarket? 04:31  |  Shahar Ilan 25/03/08
  61.   HEY JOHNNYBOY #57, HOW ABOUT IRAN AS AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC 05:22  |  Jorge 25/03/08
  62.   #61 Look in the mirror Jorge 07:57  |  Johnboy 25/03/08
  63.   Sullivan`s rachmoness 09:01  |  Sarah 25/03/08
  64.   There is a vast difference 09:02  |  Yonatan 25/03/08
  65.   Shahar Ilan`s conclusions are correct 09:04  |  Yonatan 25/03/08
  66.   Iran not Arab 09:05  |  Sarah Klein 25/03/08
  67.   TO HAARETZ CENSOR, WHY DON"T YOU WANT TO ASK ARAB MK IF LOYAL 18:09  |  Jorge 25/03/08
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