The chairman of the predominantly Arab Joint List party, MK Ayman Odeh, claimed on Tuesday that the political uproar following his call for young Arabs not to enlist in the "occupation army" stems from mistakes in the translation of his remarks.
Speaking to the Arab-Israeli Arab television channel Hala, Odeh claimed that in the Hebrew translation of his remarks, it was said that he called on Arabs serving in the security forces to throw their weapons at Israelis.
He added that he was accused of a statement in which he attacked the Israel Police when in practice he did not mention the police in the video but rather called on the Arab youth not to enlist in the ranks of the "occupation".
Odeh described his remarks in the video, which was filmed at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, as "human, moral and national that expressed the conscience."
"All I said is that I call on young people not to enlist in the occupation army which harms and harasses anyone who goes to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher," Odeh said.
He noted that "we are not a part, and we must not be a part, of the Israeli occupation machine against our deprived Palestinian people who are fighting a just struggle to achieve their freedom and bring the occupation to an end. These things must be natural and clear to all."
On the political crisis, Odeh ruled out the possibility of the Joint List joining the coalition, though he said the Israeli left was interested in having his party join the coalition.
The preferred way, Odeh said, is to lean on Arab society, increase the turnout in the elections and thus prevent Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government.
He stressed that the Joint List could not be a partner in "a government that commits crimes, occupation and discrimination, but would be willing to cooperate with anyone who promotes peace and equality."