The Balad party responded on Thursday night to the arrest of MK Basel Ghattas, who is suspected of smuggling cellular phones to terrorist prisoners.
"Israel is choosing an escalation against the Arabs. This step is unprecedented in its severity, and has no justification. The arrest is an inseparable part of the persecution of the political activity of Balad and other Arab parties and political movements," the party said in a statement.
“The arrest of MK Ghattas is a retaliatory move which was done in an atmosphere of growing hostility against the Arab public and the wild incitement against it, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. It should be emphasized - the issue of the political prisoners is a painful, humane and moral issue on which there is wall to wall consensus in the Arab street. On this matter we do not accept the Zionist discourse and will not accept efforts to discredit Ghattas,” it added.