Arab MK Said Nafaa (Balad) has asked the chairman of the Knesset's Control Committee, MK Yariv Levin (Likud), not to remove his immunity following the Attorney General's decision to put him on trial regarding his visit to Syria in 2007, during which he met terrorist leaders. He claimed that all of his activity was carried out as part of his duties as a Knesset Member and that putting him on trial will harm his public activity.
MK Danny Danon (Likud) reacted to Nafaa's request by saying, "He who meets a foreign agent does not have the right to immunity. Nafaa's proper place is in jail and not in the legislature. The leaders of Israel's Arabs think that Israeli law and democracy will protect them even if they do things that are intended solely for destroying Israel.”
MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) asked Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin to “utterly reject” Nafaa's “hallucinatory” and “anti-democratic” request. Schneller added: “Some Knesset Members have a tendency to put greater faith in the sanctity of their parliamentary immunity than in the sanctity of the security of the state.”
The Attorney General decided last month to put MK Nafaa on trial for departing Israel illegally to visit an enemy state, assisting others to illegally visit an enemy state, and contact with a foreign agent. He is accused of visiting Syria in September 2007 and meeting Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas's Diplomatic Bureau, and Talal Naji, Deputy Director of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
In addition, he is accused of organizing a trip to Syria by 280 Druze religious officials, with the aid of former MK Azmi Bishara, who escaped Israel after being implicated in espionage for Hizbullah.