Slippery Slope

A 17 year old woman tried to spit at MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al) at an election panel in Bar-Ilan University. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

Chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beitenu), has asked the Central Elections Committee to bar Arab party Balad from the forthcoming elections to the 19th Knesset.  MKs Michael Ben-Ari and Aryeh Eldad (Otzma LeYisrael) asked to bar both Balad and Ra’am-Ta’al, another Arab party, while MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) has asked that MK Hanin Zo’abi (Balad) be disqualified as a candidate. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

During operation Pillar of Cloud, dozens of complaints were sent to the Second Authority for Television and Radio, which regulates commercial broadcasts, about interviews with Palestinians and a show of empathy with them.  Out of 170 complaints received, 48 dealt with interviews with Palestinians, mainly the interview with MK Ahmad Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al), in which he attacked Channel 2′s military analyst, Roni Daniel.

(Hebrew – Globes)

A threat letter was sent to MKs Mohammad Baraka (Hadash), Hana Sweid (Hadash) and Ahmad Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al), as well at to the Mayor of Nazareth Ramiz Jaraisy. The letter writer, who calls himself “Johan Rasmussen” claims to belong to an organization called “Pulsa Dinura committee”. He warned the receiver that a Pulsa Dinura curse, similar to the “curse that killed Yizhak Rabin”, was laid on them.

(Hebrew)

Prison Service guards blocked MK Ahmad Tibi (Raam-Taal) from treating Balal Diab, a Palestinian administrative detainee on hunger strike, who lost consciousness during a hearing of his case before the High Court for Justice.  Before being blocked, the judge, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein asked Tibi, who was present during the hearing, to examine Diab.  Tibi was finally allowed to examine Diab almost an hour after he collapsed. (Ynetnews)

(Hebrew – Walla)

29 Members of Knesset applied to the Knesset Speaker requesting that he disperse the Knesset panel on the assimilation of Israeli Arab workers in public service, claiming that the panel’s chairman, MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al) is using it to advance a political agenda.

(Hebrew - nrg)

MK Danny Danon (Likud) called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to look into the activities of MK Ahmad Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al) and to oust him from the Knesset, following a facebook status Tibi posted in which he identified with residents of the Gaza Strip.

(Hebrew - nrg)

Members of Knesset Sheikh Ibrahim Zarzur and Massoud Ganaim (Ra’am-Ta’al) met with Palestinian Parliament Chairman, Dr. Aziz Dweik from the Hamas organization, soon after his release from Israeli prison in June 2009.  The MKs entourage included members of the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Hamad Abu Dabas, Sheikh Jum’a Ksasi, Sheikh Eid Ksasi, and Sheikh Ahmed Abu Farih.  This follows the publication of a meeting between MK Hanin Zo’abi (Balad) and Dr. Dweik.

(Hebrew)

The Knesset’s legal adviser has green-lit MK Ahmed Tibi’s (Ra’am-Ta’al) legislative proposal, forbidding anyone living in a settlement from being a Supreme Court Justice, as well as MK Michael Ben-Ari’s (National Union) legislative proposal, dubbed “the Joubran Law”, which blocks anyone who has not been in the army or performed national service from being a Supreme Court Justice, and blocks the position of Supreme Court President or his deputy from a serving Justice who has not fulfilled his service requirement.

A report by the state comptroller and ombudsman on party funding found that parties are using state money meant for political activities for personal use, spending it on gala dinners, presents and bonuses for their accounting firms. According to the report, Kadima and Likud parties paid high sums for gala dinners; Shas party paid over $5,500 for a party in honor of the daughter of Minister Eli Yishai after her wedding; Yisrael Beiteinu spent over $12,000 on trips abroad for Minister Avigdor Lieberman and other party members; Ta’al spent over $6,000 on trips to Egypt and Jordan; the Arab Democratic Party spent over $8,000 on wedding presents; Ra’am awarded 6 copper plaques to activists who sailed on the Mavi Marmara; Likud, Kadima and Labor paid tens of thousands of dollars to their accounting firms as bonuses for giving them clean financial bills of health.