Hanin Zoabi
Hanin ZoabiFlash 90

MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) accused Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas (“Abu Mazen”) of “treason” on Israeli television Saturday.

"Our political criticism of the Palestinian Authority goes back a very long time,” she said on Channel 2's Meet the Press, which decided to reward Zoabi's recent provocative comments about the three abducted Jewish teens, by giving her a full-length 20-minute weekend interview in which to express her ideas.

"Abu Mazen's goal is to strengthen his regime,” Zoabi said. “Abu Mazen's security coordination with Israel is treason against the Palestinian people.”

Zoabi refused to apologize for her earlier statements to the effect that the teenager's abductors are not terrorists, saying only that she supports the struggle against Israel as long as it remains “within the limits of human morailty.”

"My political views were not born yesterday,” she insisted. “I support a righteous struggle, within the limits of international law, against the occupation.”

"There is a context of occupation that has to be ended, and struggled against,” she elaborated. “I do not agree with the abduction. They are not terrorists because I am looking at the macro. I do not know them at all and I do not know if this is an abduction.”

She also accused Israeli media for failing to report at length about the death of two Palestinian Arab youths in the course of confrontations between the IDF and Arabs over the last few days.

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon reacted to Zoabi's statements by calling her "a Hamas collaborator."