Liberman: Arab MKs who celebrated in Hamas victory rally should be jailed

FM accuses Zoabi, Zehalka, Sarsur of treason and supporting terror after they took part in rally for Hamas in northern Israel.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
MKs who attended a victory rally for Hamas are traitors who support terrorism and must go to prison, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Sunday.
Liberman’s comments came after Balad MKs Jamal Zahalka and Haneen Zoabi and UAL leader Ibrahim Sarsour participated in an event on Friday at the Kabul Regional Council near Acre, organized by the Monitoring Committee of the Israeli-Arab leadership under the banner “Gaza Won.”
“They should ‘celebrate’ for a long time behind bars,” Liberman wrote on Facebook.
According to the Yisrael Beytenu leader, “those demonstrators, including Arab MKs, did not rally out of humanitarian support for the pain of Gaza residents; rather they expressed open support for the enemy that fought against Israel for two months.”
As such, Liberman wrote, all of the participants should be seen as traitors and supporters of terrorism, be put on trial and be sent to prison. In jail, Liberman added, they could have the right to observe a moment of silence for victims of IDF strikes on Gaza, as they did in the rally.
“As for the heads of the Monitoring Committee of the Israeli- Arab leadership, which organized the event, this is further proof for this country’s leaders, who are closing their eyes and continue to see this body as a legitimate one that can be spoken to. Well, it really isn’t,” Liberman said.
The foreign minister described the Monitoring Committee as “extremists who support enemies of the state. Talking to them sends a negative message to Israeli Arabs who are loyal to the state, and strengthens the extremists who support terrorism,” he said.
Some 2,000 people attended the event on Friday, waving Palestinian flags and singing the Palestinian national anthem.
Zoabi called upon “the occupier” to do some soul searching following Operation Protective Edge. She referred to the Gazan casualties as the “2,000 martyrs who were killed among my people.”
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.


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