Edelstein: Arab MK At It Again, Inciting Terror and Hate

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said that he would file a complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee against United Arab List party head MK Ayman Oudeh, over a long list of what Edelstein said were insults to Israel, incitement to violence, and support for terrorists. Oudeh’s latest offense, Edelstein said, was his participation in a rally supporting the Democratic Front terror group – and declaring that Yerushalayim is “the capital of Palestine.”

The event Monday night at the Ambassador Hotel in Yerushalayim was recorded, and footage was distributed on social media. “I watched the footage and saw MK Oudeh inciting audience members to carry out terror acts, and I was ashamed, for him and for the Knesset,” said Edelstein. “As Knesset chairman and a citizen of Israel, we cannot have a situation where an elected official in the Arab sector essentially represents a terror group and incites to violence. There is no place for that kind of behavior in the Knesset.”

The event at the hotel was specifically organized to “strengthen” the city’s standing “as capital of Palestine,” according to organizers. Oudeh said in his remarks that “they [the Israelis] will be defeated, and Yerushalayim shall remain ours. We stand firm and will be successful, and the city will be the capital of Palestine.” Also attending the event were several Russian officials, representatives of Moscow in the Palestinian Authority.

A police order against the event was issued several hours before it took place, with the order saying that the event was organized by terror groups. While the event was underway, large numbers of police arrived to shut it down. Six individuals were detained and one was arrested, with the rest released after questioning.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also slammed the event. “Oudeh has provided yet another example of how he acts as an enemy of the state, and as a supporter of terror. I intend to ask legal officials to file charges against him for supporting terror groups. Oudeh’s place is not in the Knesset, but in prison.”