MK Bishara, leader of the National Democratic Assembly (Balad) party, is planning to visit Lebanon in the near future. While there, he intends to take part in an interview with Al-Manar, which is owned and operated by the terrorist Hizbullah organization.
MK Yisrael Hason (Yisrael Beiteinu) called on Mazuz to prevent the trip altogether, but Mazuz said on Monday that he sees no legal reason to do so. According to a letter from Mazuz's assistant, the attorney general will decide after the interview if Bishara can be charged with any crime based on what he says.
MK Bishara has often been accused of acting against Israel's interests, having repeatedly made public comments against Israel and having made more than one trip to enemy nations over the years. As of now, however, no serious legal consequences for such actions have jeopardized his parliamentary, criminal or civilian status.
Last September, Bishara and other Arab MKs traveled to Syria. There, Bishara warned Syrian President Bashar Assad of a possible Israeli attack. He also praised Assad for supporting the "liberation" of land from Israel and condemned Israel's response to Hizbullah's rocket attacks on northern Israel.
In June 2001, Bishara appeared alongside Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a memorial ceremony in Damascus for the late Syrian dictator Hafez Assad. In his public remarks at the time, Bishara called for a "united Arab nation" to come together against Israel. In 2000, during a speech in the Israeli Arab city of Um El-Fahm, Bishara praised Hizbullah for "defeating and humiliating Israel."
Apologized for 'Inappropriate Behavior'
MK Bishara was almost censured on Tuesday, however, for his unseemly parliamentary behavior during a debate on a bill that, many assumed, would have been applied to him first and foremost. The bill, proposed by MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union-National Religious Party), would allow the Knesset to vote to expel one of its own members who incited racial hatred, denounced Israel's existence, or expressed support for a terrorist organization or for violence against the State of Israel.
During a meeting of the Legislative Committee of the Knesset, at which the bill was being debated, Bishara cursed at MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) using extreme profanity, which led to the Balad MK's ejection from the session. The bill was ultimately rejected 11 to 5.
Later, the Knesset Ethics Committee elected not to censure Bishara, because the MK "expressed his regret to the committee for his inappropriate behavior."
Reacting to the decision, MK Erdan said, "The decision inflicts damage to the image of the Knesset almost as much as Bishara's outburst. It cannot be that a committee entrusted with preserving the honor of the Knesset would leave unanswered a profanity so base that it doesn't even belong in the streets."
MK Yisrael Hason (Yisrael Beiteinu) called on Mazuz to prevent the trip altogether, but Mazuz said on Monday that he sees no legal reason to do so. According to a letter from Mazuz's assistant, the attorney general will decide after the interview if Bishara can be charged with any crime based on what he says.
MK Bishara has often been accused of acting against Israel's interests, having repeatedly made public comments against Israel and having made more than one trip to enemy nations over the years. As of now, however, no serious legal consequences for such actions have jeopardized his parliamentary, criminal or civilian status.
Last September, Bishara and other Arab MKs traveled to Syria. There, Bishara warned Syrian President Bashar Assad of a possible Israeli attack. He also praised Assad for supporting the "liberation" of land from Israel and condemned Israel's response to Hizbullah's rocket attacks on northern Israel.
In June 2001, Bishara appeared alongside Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a memorial ceremony in Damascus for the late Syrian dictator Hafez Assad. In his public remarks at the time, Bishara called for a "united Arab nation" to come together against Israel. In 2000, during a speech in the Israeli Arab city of Um El-Fahm, Bishara praised Hizbullah for "defeating and humiliating Israel."
Apologized for 'Inappropriate Behavior'
MK Bishara was almost censured on Tuesday, however, for his unseemly parliamentary behavior during a debate on a bill that, many assumed, would have been applied to him first and foremost. The bill, proposed by MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union-National Religious Party), would allow the Knesset to vote to expel one of its own members who incited racial hatred, denounced Israel's existence, or expressed support for a terrorist organization or for violence against the State of Israel.
During a meeting of the Legislative Committee of the Knesset, at which the bill was being debated, Bishara cursed at MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) using extreme profanity, which led to the Balad MK's ejection from the session. The bill was ultimately rejected 11 to 5.
Later, the Knesset Ethics Committee elected not to censure Bishara, because the MK "expressed his regret to the committee for his inappropriate behavior."
Reacting to the decision, MK Erdan said, "The decision inflicts damage to the image of the Knesset almost as much as Bishara's outburst. It cannot be that a committee entrusted with preserving the honor of the Knesset would leave unanswered a profanity so base that it doesn't even belong in the streets."