MK Zoabi calls on Palestinians to revolt against Palestinian Authority

Zoabi poignantly criticized the Palestinian leadership for "aggressively foiling the creation of any alternative to the status quo, even on Facebook."

Hanin Zoabi (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Hanin Zoabi
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Controversial Arab-Israeli MK Haneen Zoabi urged Palestinians to revolt against the Palestinian Authority and protest against its security cooperation with Israel, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported Monday.
Speaking on Sunday in her hometown Nazareth at a forum on the treaty of Palestinian national unity, a document written by central Palestinian figures, Zoabi praised what she defined as “the Palestinian espousal of a sober attitude towards Israel, after they understand that Israel is not a partner for peace.”
Nevertheless, she pointedly criticized the Palestinian leadership for “aggressively foiling the creation of any alternative to the status quo, even on Facebook,” claiming that it does so because it benefits from the current reality.
By sticking with the status quo, Zoabi said, the Palestinian Authority facilitates the oppression of the Palestinian people. “The question is how would we revolt against this authority? How would we change it?” she asked.
Zoabi further described the Palestinian Authority as an “obstacle that prevents a desired change that must apply on the leadership level and on the ground.”
The MK stated that her party (Balad) regards Israeli Arabs as a part of the Palestinian people.
Thus, she added, Palestinians “must consult with Israeli-Arabs in deciding how to struggle against the Israeli occupation.”