Member of Knesset Jamal Zahalka returned this week from a trip to Britain and Canada, in which he lectured at various universities, including Oxford and the universities of Ottawa and Toronto. In his lectures, Zahalka referred to Israel as a racist state, and spoke about what he called ‘apartheid’ in Israel.
Zahalka criticized Israel for separating Israeli Arabs from Arabs living in the Palestinian Authority, a policy which he called worse than apartheid in South Africa. Zahalka is known for his controversial trips abroad, most notably a trip to Syria after last summer’s war with Lebanon. After that trip Zahalka and other Arab Members of Knesset were investigated on charges of visiting an enemy country, but were not punished.
Zahalka criticized Israel for separating Israeli Arabs from Arabs living in the Palestinian Authority, a policy which he called worse than apartheid in South Africa. Zahalka is known for his controversial trips abroad, most notably a trip to Syria after last summer’s war with Lebanon. After that trip Zahalka and other Arab Members of Knesset were investigated on charges of visiting an enemy country, but were not punished.