High Court: Ex-MK Bishara will continue to receive his pension

The High Court of Justice on Monday ruled that former MK Azmi Bishara (Balad) will continue to receive his pension benefits and will not be stripped of his citizenship.

Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish and Judges Edna Arbel and Miriam Naor rejected the petition, which claimed that Bishara's citizenship and pension should be revoked because he fled Israel while being investigated for security breaches.

The representative for the state prosecutor, attorney Yochi Gensin, asked the court to reject the petition, noting that the Knesset recently passed legislation regarding MKs who commit security offenses. Gensin added that the petitioners may take their complaint to the interior minister if they wish to do so.

The petition was filed the World Likud, whose chairman, Danny Danon, expressed harsh criticism after the court handed down its ruling. Danon claimed the decision supports what he called the terror that Arab public leaders direct at the Israeli public.

"It is a disgrace that the High Court participated in the interior minister's failure to act against Bishara," said Danon. "We will turn to the interior minister to demand he begin proceedings against Bishara, and if he does not act, we will appeal to the High Court.

Bishara is suspected of having been in contact with Hezbollah intelligence agents during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. They allegedly paid him tens of thousands of dollars for unspecified reasons.

Bishara left Israel in March 2007 and resigned from the Knesset the following month. He has not returned to Israel since then, and is believed to be living in an Arab country. The investigation against him is ongoing.