Zoabi: Rabbis wrote racist letter with tacit state support

Balad MK slams petition calling on Israelis not to rent, sell homes to Arabs; MK a-Sanaa says anti-Arab laws come out almost daily.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
hanin zoabi looking crazy 311 (photo credit: AP)
hanin zoabi looking crazy 311
(photo credit: AP)
Arab Knesset members on Wednesday debated the recent petition letter signed by dozens of state-supported rabbis who called on Israelis not to rent or sell homes to Arab citizens.
MK Haneen Zoabi in particular railed against the government for what she perceived as its support for the rabbis' racist agenda.
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"They think that their petition is appropriate for this day and age," Zoabi told the Knesset plenum. "It is necessary to castigate the context and not just the text itself. This is the height of arrogance and the Knesset is the one that gave courage to these rabbis.  Political opinions do not become legitimate unless they are supported by the establishment."
MK Taleb a-Sanaa (United Arab List-Ta'al) was also present at the debate and said that legislation against the Arab public comes out almost daily.
"If you want to fight, you need to start the war from here and not refer to the prime minister's counter argument," he declared.
"They [the rabbis] are no better than Bin Laden," he said.