Avigdor Liberman
Avigdor LibermanYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

The Arab poet Marwan Makhoul, a 36-year-old citizen of Israel and resident of the Galil, is currently visiting in Lebanon according to the Lebanese paper An-Nahar - and in doing so is breaking the law meant to prevent inroads for Iran's Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah.

"Makhoul succeeded in breaking the blockade of the enemy and arriving in Lebanon," wrote the paper, referring to Israel as the "enemy."

Yisrael Beytenu chairperson Avigdor Liberman responded to the report, saying, "the friends of Makhoul, the Arab Israeli poet from Ma'alot Tarshiha who arrived in Beirut despite the ban on doing so due to it being an enemy country, say they are planning a party for him on his return to Israel."

"They also noted that in similar incidents in the past no steps were taken against other Arab Israelis who did the same," said Liberman. "I propose to the relevant security sources that they clarify to Makhoul that he would be better off staying in Lebanon because if he returns - they'll have to hold the party in jail."

Addressing the possible danger of terrorist activity inherent in the situation, the MK continued, "we must not allow those who enjoy Israeli citizenship to show contempt for the law, to visit an enemy state and then return to Israel, with all the consequences that are prone to be caused by it."

"If Makhoul is not arrested upon returning, I will demand that the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hold a discussion about the matter and summon members of the Defense Ministry so as to change the situation and to stop this absurd management," concluded Liberman.

The issue of loyalty among Arab citizens of Israel has often come up in the past; one telling survey last November revealed 29% of Israeli Arabs held Israel "to blame" for the recent wave of terror attacks, indicating that a third of the Arab citizens gave tacit approval to terrorism.

Thousands of Arab Israelis likewise annually gather to protest the existence of the state they hold citizenship in on Israeli Independence Day.