Knesset Chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) sharply criticized Arab MK Hanin Zoabi’s (Balad) latest tirade – in which she called the IDF “worse terrorists than ISIS” – and warned she is trying to “destroy Israel.”
“She crossed all lines,” Edelstein told Israel Hayom. “I would expect that all MKs from the right and the left would support having her not selected for the Knesset.
“Zoabi doesn’t want a Palestinian state, rather she wants our destruction; I suggest we believe her,” said the Knesset head. “She wants them to slaughter us and for us to completely disappear.”
Edelstein continued “if someone on the right existed saying we should kill all Arabs and they’re all like ISIS, I would oppose them as I oppose Zoabi. I truly hope an environment will be created in the Knesset to distance her from it.”
Zoabi has long angered Israelis with her overt support of the Hamas terrorist group trying to destroy Israel, and just recently wrote an article encouraging Hamas on the terror group’s website.
The Israeli public appears to finally be fed up with her antics, as a poll Thursday found 85% of Israelis want her out of the Knesset, and MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu) said Sunday legislation to strip her of her Israeli citizenship would soon be introduced.
“No elections” in 2015
Moving to the topic of the abuse of bill-submitting powers in the Knesset, Edelstein expressed his support of a new proposal to limit the number of bills MKs can submit. Since the start of the current Knesset last March, 2,700 individual bills have already been submitted.
“I support this idea 100%,” said Edelstein. “In general, the Knesset is dealing too much with legislation and not enough with supervision of the governmental ministries.” He added each bill costs money for the jurists who need to phrase the proposed laws, and bogs down the legal committees.
“I think we should go for a process that in exchange for reducing the number of proposed laws will give a government agreement to have the ministers appear more in the Knesset, respond to questions of the MKs and be involved in the Knesset work. I talked about this with government ministers and I hope to reach a mutual agreement on it,” added the Knesset chairman.
Despite the talk of spring elections, Edelstein assess that “during 2015 there won’t be elections in Israel. That’s my feeling based on my experience gained over the years.”
“First of all, MKs don’t want to split up when not even two years have passed since they were elected in January 2013,” explained Edelstein. “Second, one of the rationales for breaking up the government is the budgetary issue, but after the government passed the budget it doesn’t seem to me that there will be disagreements in the coalition on the budget that will cause a government crisis.”
Addressing another possible reason for the government to break up, Edelstein said he doesn’t see the national diplomatic issue causing a split either, as there is currently no “partner on the other side to come and announce he is ready for an agreement on dividing Jerusalem and other territorial concessions.”
“A debate on a topic like this could expose the disagreements in the coalition on the diplomatic issue,” he noted. “Also I don’t think a coalition crisis is likely due to social problems or housing problems.”
