By Alexander J. Apfel/TPS
Hanin Zoabi, a member of the Arab Joint List party, the third largest faction in the Israeli Knesset, issued a statement today, stating her determination to fight a political campaign announced by Avigdor Lieberman.
The Soviet-born leader of the right-of-center Yisrael Beitenu party recently announced his campaign to “remove Hanin Zoabi from the Knesset – for good!” He also uploaded a photo of himself bearing this slogan on his Facebook page.
Lieberman also posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday that Zoabi had “supported terror against Israel and incited against our country.”
Zoabi has indeed made comments in the past, seemingly sympathetic to serious acts of terrorism. In mid 2014, when three Israeli youths were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, Zoabi said that “I can’t call this act terrorism, even if I don’t agree with it. This incident is a result of Israeli war crimes. [The terrorists] have to use these means until Israel will wake up a little, until citizens of Israel and Israeli society will wake up and feel the suffering of others.”
Zoabi was also quoted on a Hamas website encouraging Palestinians to take place in “popular resistance” and called upon Palestinians to “put Israel under siege instead of negotiating.”
“That is why I initiated legislation that will not allow the Israeli Supreme Court or any other body to overturn the decision of the Israeli Central Elections Committee to disqualify Zoabi from standing during elections,” he continued.
Zoabi, who has thrust herself into the public limelight several times in recent years released a statement this afternoon in which she described Lieberman as a “dangerous political figure” and a “fascist.”
“He is trying to gain cheap and inappropriate popularity by attacking and inciting against me and against the public that I represent,” Zoabi wrote.
The response went on to portray Zoabi and Liberman as the respective proponents of democracy and fascism: “This is a classic conflict between democracy and fascism. I represent justice, democracy and human rights, and Liberman represents fascism and hateful politics. Obviously my democratic principles irritate an opponent of democracy like Liberman.”
She expressed her determination to remain steadfast and to continue fighting for her cause. “This campaign and its name will not deter me or move me from my struggle for the values in which I believe: justice, equality, freedom and democracy. I will continue to struggle for my people and their just struggle.”
Zoabi fell out of favor with much of the Israeli public after a series of provocative actions that included participating in the Mavi Marmara Flotilla in May 2010, which sought to breach Israel’s security blockade. The flotilla contained weapon caches and armed activists. Moreover, the incident severely damaged Israeli-Turkish relations.
