Israel Beiteinu’s MK Alex Miller said in the plenum on Tuesday that he would be
the first to take advantage of the
new law, by suing MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab
List - Ta’al) for calling to boycott the West Bank city of Ariel.
“Tibi’s
party is not immune to lawsuits and certainly is not above the law,” Miller, an
Ariel resident, said.
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it will be responsible for the outcome,” he added.
Miller explained that
the law is meant to prevent economic damage caused by boycotts, and that Tibi’s
words could make investors hesitate before doing business in Ariel.
The
“Boycott Bill,” which passed on Monday night after a six-hour Knesset debate,
allows citizens to sue persons and organizations that call for economic,
cultural or academic boycotts against Israel, Israeli institutions or regions
under Israeli control. It also prevents the government from doing business with
companies that initiate or comply with such boycotts.
The Israel Beiteinu
member, along with Ariel city council member Pavel Folb, plan to sue Tibi for
damages.
Earlier Tuesday, during the time allotted to MKs for one-minute
speeches in the plenum, Tibi called the new law “fascist” and “McCarthyist.”
“This Knesset is the least tolerant, the most extreme and the most racist,” Tibi
said, specifically mentioning Miller as the MK who proposed the “Nakba
Bill.”
“The ‘Boycott Bill’ is totally unconstitutional. I, in the
name of the UALTa’al faction, call on the public to break this law; boycott
settlements, their products and Ariel; take apart Ariel and send away its
residents,” Tibi said.
“They have no right to live on occupied land.”