The Knesset House Committee voted 12-5 today to restrict MK Ahmed Tibi\'s freedom of movement. The Labor Party MKs absented themselves from the vote. The decision is the result of Tibi\'s sharp statements against the State of Israel and the IDF during Operation Defensive Shield, and still requires the approval of the full Knesset. The vote was initiated by MK Michael Kleiner (Herut).
Tibi said in response that today was a \"black day\" for the Knesset, and that the decision will not stand up to Supreme Court review. Arutz-7\'s Haggai Seri notes that the decision has only minor practical significance, as it bans Tibi only from entering closed military zones - and if he in fact violates the orders, the Attorney-General will have to decide how to proceed.
In other Israeli-Arab news, it was learned today that the children of both Jibril Rajoub and Hanan Ashrawi receive child allowance payments from the State and receive the same rights as Israeli citizens - lacking only a passport and the right to vote in national elections. This was reported today to the Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers. Rajoub\'s wife is an Israeli-Arab from eastern Jerusalem, and Ashrawi had a similar status; many other PA officials are in the same category. Rajoub serves as the PA\'s security chief in Judea and Samaria. Some 100,000 Arabs from Yesha have received Israeli-Arab status since the signing of the Oslo Accords, and PLO-controlled Kalkilye even has a neighborhood of Israeli-Arabs.
Tibi said in response that today was a \"black day\" for the Knesset, and that the decision will not stand up to Supreme Court review. Arutz-7\'s Haggai Seri notes that the decision has only minor practical significance, as it bans Tibi only from entering closed military zones - and if he in fact violates the orders, the Attorney-General will have to decide how to proceed.
In other Israeli-Arab news, it was learned today that the children of both Jibril Rajoub and Hanan Ashrawi receive child allowance payments from the State and receive the same rights as Israeli citizens - lacking only a passport and the right to vote in national elections. This was reported today to the Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers. Rajoub\'s wife is an Israeli-Arab from eastern Jerusalem, and Ashrawi had a similar status; many other PA officials are in the same category. Rajoub serves as the PA\'s security chief in Judea and Samaria. Some 100,000 Arabs from Yesha have received Israeli-Arab status since the signing of the Oslo Accords, and PLO-controlled Kalkilye even has a neighborhood of Israeli-Arabs.