Otzma Yehudit chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir on Sunday wrote a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, in which he called on the Attorney General to investigate Joint List chairman MK Ayman Odeh over his support of terrorism and incitement.
The letter followed a Facebook post by Odeh in which he wrote, "If six prisoners managed to break through the narrow and crowded prison, then millions of the Palestinian people can stop the occupation - so that the people will be freed and the prisoners will be released."
In his letter to Mandelblit, Ben Gvir wrote, "Odeh's remarks, which support terrorism and incitement, are not uttered in a vacuum. Members of his party went out one after another to support the criminal actions of the escaped terrorists." As examples, he cited MK Ofer Cassif who wrote, "The prisoners of occupation are political prisoners who are judged and imprisoned in a discriminatory and abusive manner only because of their national identity and their goal to free themselves of the occupation. We will always support their goal and the goal of their people for national liberation from the occupation. We will always oppose harming the innocent.”
Ben Gvir also cited remarks by MK Aida Touma-Sliman who said, "The brutal attacks come as revenge for the blow that the arrogance of the occupation suffered - of the IPS, the Shin Bet and the defense establishment, after six prisoners managed to escape from Shita (Gilboa) Prison."
At the end of his letter, he warned that "the State of Israel is in a constant war against murderous terrorism. Such statements by Knesset members give a tail wind to terrorism and ostensibly constitute a serious offense of supporting terrorism, incitement. Freedom of expression also has a red line. Supporting the enemy is shooting the state in the back. These serious statements may have and even already have practical implications. The various security officials of the State of Israel believe that the escape of the prisoners could inspire a new spirit among the terrorist organizations in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Indeed, in recent days there have been reports of severe riots by security prisoners, including the burning of cells in various prisons."
He called on the Attorney General to immediately open an investigation into the conduct of MK Ayman Odeh and bring him to justice.
Ben Gvir said that "supporters of terrorists sit in the Israeli Knesset and feel that they have the power to incite and support terrorism and the terrorists receive a boost from them. Ayman Odeh and his friends belong in prison and not in the Israeli Knesset, I will continue to fight for this disgrace to end."