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Arab Israeli lawmakers clash with Netanyahu after supporting Hezbollah

Xinhua, March 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Arab lawmakers and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu locked horns on Monday after the former objected to the Gulf States' decision to view Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'ite militia, as a terrorist organization.

Balad and Hadash, two parties who are part of the Arab-Israeli Joint List faction, denounced the Gulf States council's decision on Monday and said the move would serve Israel's interests and sustain the occupation.

"We believe that this decision comes in order to serve the (Israeli) occupation, and expand the occupation of Arab lands," the parties said in statements to the press.

The Israeli prime minister, who has been promoting legislation aimed against the Arab parties as well as left-wing organizations, slammed the Arab parties for their support of Hezbollah, one of Israel's sworn enemies, against which it had fought a war in 2006.

Many of the civilian casualties in the war from rocket fire were residents of Arab communities in northern Israel.

"Are you out of your minds?" Netanyahu told the Arab lawmakers during a Knesset (parliament) session on Monday evening.

He himself welcomed the development in the Gulf States, saying Israel is developing ties in the region that would hopefully help it "promote the fight in Iran and IS, as well as advancing the relations with the Palestinians."

Other lawmakers from the right slammed the lawmakers' move, and Transportation Minister Israel Katz from Netanyahu's Likud party approached the Knesset's ethics committee and filed a complaint against the parties.

This clash comes amid Netanyahu's efforts to advance the suspension bill, which will allow lawmakers to ban from the Knesset other lawmakers with a special majority of over 90 votes out of 120.

The move is seen as aimed against the Arab parties, and came after three lawmakers met with families of Palestinians from east Jerusalem who carried attacks against Israelis, amid the ongoing wave of violence which started in October, and claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and more than 170 Palestinians.

The lawmakers met with the families over the latter's request to have the bodies of their sons returned, as they were held by Israeli authorities. They were suspended by the ethics committee for their actions.

The law came under fire by the Israeli president, who said it demonstrates a "problematic understanding of parliamentary democracy, as well as by the Knesset's legal advisers, who said that this bill will seriously disturb the ability of lawmakers to function."

The bill is awaiting three voting rounds by Knesset members, set to take place in the upcoming weeks.

Arab Israelis are Palestinians who stayed in the country after the 1948 war and became Israeli citizens, constituting 20 percent of the population.

Many identify with the millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied in 1967. Endit