Member of Knesset (MK) Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamist Ra’am party, will serve as Knesset Speaker when the current Speaker, Mickey Levy, is abroad.
The Knesset Committee approved on Sunday Levy’s request to appoint Abbas and MK Zvi Hauser as Levy’s replacements during his absence from the country.
Levy will travel for two weeks starting Tuesday.
Abbas will assume significant powers and influence as Knesset Speaker.
MK Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the decision and said that “this moment when, if the president is incapacitated Mansour Abbas becomes president – will not be forgotten and will not be forgiven. A sign of disgrace to the Israeli government that in the Zionist state, the Knesset Speaker and the acting president is a Muslim Brotherhood member and a supporter of terrorism.”
The Ra’am party espouses Islamic ideas and has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
