MK Jamal Zahalka
MK Jamal ZahalkaFlash 90

MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) on Monday filed a complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee against MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) over the latter's calling him a “murderer.”

The name-calling, accompanied by spitting on Zahalka's part, came during a discussion on the recent riots by Arabs in response to the murder of 16-year-old Jerusalem youth Mohammed Abu-Khder, and the police response.

During the discussion, Zahalka began shouting at Israel Police Commander Yochanan Danino, who was present at the meeting, and began calling him and Yogev “murderers” whose “hands are covered in blood.” MK Miri Regev, who was chairing the meeting, threw Zahalka out of the plenum for his comments.

“I was disgusted by both the comments and the spitting,” Yogev said. “He got his spit on my cellphone, so I wiped it on his shirt,” Yogev wrote in his complaint to Ethics Committee chairman MK Yitzchak Cohen.

“I wish to complain about Zahalka's behavior, his name-calling, spitting, and violent behavior, and his spitting on my phone. His behavior was out of control,” Yogev added.