Mazuz considers indicting Arab MK who met Hamas leaders in Syria

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Sunday told Israeli Arab MK Said Naffaa (Balad) that he may face indictment for a trip he took in September 2007 to Syria, where he met with senior members of Palestinian terror organizations.

Naffaa could face charges of unlawful travel to an enemy country, contact with a foreign agent, and aiding a visit to a foreign country.

While in Syria, Naffaa met with Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Meshal, as well as Talal Naji, deputy head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Naffaa on Saturday denied having met or spoken with the parties in question, and called the allegations against him baseless and "lies."

Naffaa is also suspected of helping nearly 300 Israeli Arab citizens travel to Syria, which he said Saturday gave him a sense of pride.

"Syria is not for us an enemy country," he said. "This is the right of Druze spiritual people to visit holy sites and their family members."

In addition to Naffaa, eight people who helped organize the trip may also face charges for unlawfully visiting a foreign country.

Former Balad MK and founder Azmi Bishara left Israel permanently in March 2007 after an investigation was opened against him for traveling to Syria and Lebanon where he met with terrorist leaders.

This past July, the Knesset passed an ammendment that would bar people who travel to enemy states from serving in the Knesset. When the ammendment was first proposed, Arab MKs branded it "racist."