Israeli-Arab MK Ahmed Tibi became loudly infuriated twice during the course of Monday, and had two top Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) officials thrown out of the Knesset.

The first occasion was when ZOA President Morton Klein met Tibi as they were entering the Knesset building, and said to him, "Mr. Tibi, I saw that last year you attended the international conference at Doha, Qatar - and listed yourself as a representative of 'Palestine.' For one thing, there is no such state as Palestine, but furthermore, I wanted to ask: You are a Knesset Member. Do you represent Israel, or Palestine?"

At that point, Klein said, "Tibi started screaming at the top of his lungs for the security guards, yelling out, 'He verbally attacked me, he verbally attacked me.'" Israel National News contacted MK Tibi's Knesset aide, asking to hear the MK's version of the incident. The aide said, in Tibi's name, to consult other media reports of the incident, and that he has nothing to add.

Following Tibi's outburst, security guards arrived and barred Klein from entering the building. The Knesset Spokesman's office later explained to Israel National News that the ultimate decision to ban a guest from the Knesset is not made by individual MKs, but by Knesset Officer Yitzchak Shadar.

Klein was in the midst of leading a delegation of World Likud Organization members to the Knesset complex, where they were to meet with several government ministers and Knesset Members. They in fact later met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, and others.

Rivlin Says No to Klein

Upon being denied entry, Klein contacted several MKs, including Aryeh Eldad and Danny Danon, and negotiations began for his re-entry. Klein later related, “The guards privately apologized to me, but they couldn’t let me back in. Danny Danon and Eldad's assistant came to see me, and Danon said, ‘In a few minutes you’ll be in.’ But he soon came back and said, ‘No, [Knesset Speaker Ruby] Rivlin is not letting you in.’”

An aide to Speaker Rivlin told Israel National News that the decision is not made by Rivlin, but by the Knesset Officer. "It could be that the Knesset Officer consults with Rivlin, and Rivlin might advise him, based on the picture he is presented with," the aide said, "but I can't tell you about yesterday's specific incident."

Danon's Letter to Rivlin

MK Danon later sent a sharp note to Rivlin about the incident, writing, "MK Tibi ordered the security guards not to allow Mr. Klein to enter the Knesset… It goes without saying that MK Tibi assumed authorities that are not his, and it is not within his rights to order a guest distanced from the Knesset for any reason… I request that you refresh the guidelines for the Knesset Members regarding their authorities.”

After about two hours and some pressure upon Rivlin, security guards returned to Klein and told him that he would be able to return if he would apologize to Tibi. Klein said, “For what will I be apologizing? All I did was ask him a question. However, I am willing to tell him that I had no intention of offending him with the question.”

Four security guards then brought Klein to the cafeteria area, where MK Zev Bielsky (Kadima), a former head of the Jewish Agency, intervened. Klein said, “He put his arm around both myself and Tibi and said, ‘Why don't you shake hands and let's resolve this.' I said, ‘If Tibi extends his hand, I will shake it.' Tibi refused to do that but said, ‘OK, what do you want to say?’ I said, ‘I had no intention of offending you.’ Tibi said, ‘OK, you can stay.’”

Goldberg Confronts Tibi, Gets Thrown Out

The story did not end there, however. Klein and ZOA official Steve Goldberg later chanced upon Tibi elsewhere in the Knesset, where they heard him talking on the phone in English, saying, “And Mort Klein apologized to me." Klein related, “Goldberg went over to Tibi and said, ‘You know that that’s a lie; he didn't apologize to you.’ Once again, Tibi started screaming at the top of his lungs; many people were there and heard him. He again called for the guards, who came over and removed Steve from the Knesset.’”

Klein believes Knesset Speaker Rivlin did not handle the situation correctly: “Is the head of a major American Jewish organization not allowed to ask a serious question of a Knesset Member? The Speaker should have told Tibi that he has no right to bar someone for asking a question… I spoke politely – but even if not, is rudeness a reason to bar me from the Knesset? This man [Tibi] was openly an advisor to Arafat!”

Tibi's History

Tibi is no stranger to angry and even violent incidents:

* In 1987, Tibi was fired as a doctor in Hadassah Hospital after, according to a hospital spokesman, "Tibi hit a security guard on the head with his briefcase, and left him lying on the floor bleeding. The guard needed several stitches."

* In July 2001, Border Guard Chief Yaakov Ganot called for a criminal investigation against him, after a Justice Ministry investigation found that it was Tibi who assaulted a Border Guard policeman four months earlier - and not, as Tibi had claimed, that the policeman attacked him.

* Also in July 2001, a complaint was filed with the police by Yehuda Levinger of Ramat Shlomo, Jerusalem, charging that Tibi had punched him during a Knesset committee session.

* In February of 2001, a Jerusalem court found that Tibi was not telling the truth when he accused three Kach activists of assaulting him.