Member of Knesset Aida Touma-Sliman of the Hadash-Ta'al faction skipped the official swearing-in ceremony for the newly installed Knesset on Tuesday to attend a family event and used the opportunity to voice her support for the Palestinian cause.
לא נכחתי בהשבעה בשל מחויבות לאירוע משפחתי בחו"ל שנקבע מזמן. ובהזדמנות זו:אני נשבעת אמונים להילחם למען שוויון אזרחי ולאומי למיעוט הערבי הפלסטיני; להיאבק נגד הכיבוש ולמען שלום שיושג רק כשתקום מדינה פלסטינית ובירתה י-ם המזרחית; להוות קול לכל מדוכאים ולמוחלשות על רקעים שונים.
— MK Aida Touma-Sliman (@AidaTuma) April 30, 2019
"I vow allegiance to fight for civil and national equality for the Palestinian Arab minority," Touma-Sliman wrote in Hebrew. "To fight against the occupation and for peace that can only be achieved when you place a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem," she added.
Hadash is a mostly Arab political party comprised of communist and other leftist groups. Born in Nazareth to a Christian-Arab family, Touma-Sliman has been in the Knesset since 2015 and has served as chair of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality.