Arab MK Azmi Bishara\'s anti-Israel speech in Damascus yesterday has the Israeli political establishment abuzz in search of measures that can be taken against him. In his speech, Bishara entreated the Arab world \"to unite against the warmongering Sharon government,\" and said, \"Israel puts forth a choice: either accept Israel\'s dictates - or else full-scale war. There is no option of a third alternative, the path of resistance, other than by enlarging this resistance sphere, so that people can carry on with the struggle.\" Bishara sat next to arch-terrorist Ahmed Jibril, founder of the PFLP terrorist organization, and appeared together with Hizbullah leader Sheikh Nasrallah and other Arab leaders.
Coalition leader Likud MK Ze\'ev Boim called on Public Security Minister Uzi Landau to have Bishara detained for questioning when he returns to Israel. Boim said, \"Bishara has publicly connected himself to Israel\'s worst enemies. This cannot be ignored, and the police should detain him and possibly charge him for conspiring with the enemy.\" MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) went further than the many other furious MKs when he declared yesterday, \"In any normal country, they\'d put him in front of a firing squad. It\'s inconceivable that an Israeli Knesset member would encourage Arab states to launch a full-scale war against us.\"
Possible measures to be taken against Bishara include suspending Bishara\'s passport - a special one for MKs that allows them to travel to enemy countries - and even his citizenship. Rubenstein said this morning that it would be hard to indict him, in light of a Supreme Court ruling from Nov. 27, 2000 determining that support for terrorism could only be indictable if a specific terrorist organization is mentioned.
Atty.-Gen. Rubenstein took another angle, saying that Bishara\'s political party could possibly be outlawed based on its leaders statements. Political Parties Registrar Elisha Tsidon, however, has refused to accept the challenge, saying that an anti-Israel group may not be registered as a political party, but once it is already registered, he has no authority to nullify it. This angle has not been totally ruled out, however.
Atty. Elyakim Ha\'etzni of Kiryat Arba attacked the Attorney-General\'s approach: \"It\'s not a question of invalidating his special passport, or whether he can be indicted for supporting terrorism. There is a clear law that governs these situations: The Law of Citizenship, 5712 (1952), Section 11b, which states as follows: \"The Interior Minister is authorized to nullify the citizenship of someone who performed an action comprising breach of trust vis-a-vis the State of Israel.\" If this case [of Bishara\'s remarks] is not covered by this clause, then what IS covered? Rubenstein doesn\'t mention this law at all! He says that he can\'t be prosecuted, but he\'s looking for the coin under the wrong streetlight. He keeps talking about the new ruling regarding incitement to terrorism, which can\'t be applied - but if they would simply revoke Bishara\'s citizenship, he simply won\'t be able to return to Israel, and he\'ll be stuck in Syria... And what about the law against sedition, which forbids incitement to uprising, and incitement of one group of citizens against the other, etc. Why is it that I myself was tried under this law, as were others, but regarding the Arabs, this law is simply forgotten?!\"
Later this afternoon, Interior Minister Yeshai appeared to adopt Ha\'etzni\'s first suggestion. After consulting with his office\'s legal department, Yeshai turned to Attorney-General Rubenstein and asked for authorization to revoke the citizenship of MK Azmi Bishara according to Section 11b of the Law of Citizenship. \"Bishara has crossed all red lines,\" Yeshai said. \"There is a limit, and it\'s time to set it.\"
Other reactions:
MK Amnon Rubenstein (Meretz) said that although Bishara\'s remarks are very grave, his party must not be outlawed. He also opined that the outlawing of Kach several years ago was an error.
Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg decided to call an emergency meeting of the Knesset Ethics Committee regarding Bishara\'s speech. He said that Bishara\'s remarks were the gravest of any ever made by an Arab MK against Israel, and that Bishara had stretched his Parliamentary immunity to the limit of Israeli tolerance and patience.
The NRP and Minister Tzachi Hanegbi feel that he must be made to stand trial. MK Yuli Edelstein (Yisrael B\'Aliyah), however, said that he thinks Bishara should not be tried, explaining, \"From my experience with the Israeli law system, he\'ll end up being exonerated, and then he\'ll feel he has a legal stamp of approval for his incitement...\"
MK Yossi Sarid said: \"Bishara has undoubtedly passed all lines that a cultured person would draw for himself... His remarks are worthy of condemnation, and they do great damage to the cause of peace, and the chance that the Middle East will ever become a more peaceful place. I wonder what this Knesset Member actually wants...\"
Coalition leader Likud MK Ze\'ev Boim called on Public Security Minister Uzi Landau to have Bishara detained for questioning when he returns to Israel. Boim said, \"Bishara has publicly connected himself to Israel\'s worst enemies. This cannot be ignored, and the police should detain him and possibly charge him for conspiring with the enemy.\" MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) went further than the many other furious MKs when he declared yesterday, \"In any normal country, they\'d put him in front of a firing squad. It\'s inconceivable that an Israeli Knesset member would encourage Arab states to launch a full-scale war against us.\"
Possible measures to be taken against Bishara include suspending Bishara\'s passport - a special one for MKs that allows them to travel to enemy countries - and even his citizenship. Rubenstein said this morning that it would be hard to indict him, in light of a Supreme Court ruling from Nov. 27, 2000 determining that support for terrorism could only be indictable if a specific terrorist organization is mentioned.
Atty.-Gen. Rubenstein took another angle, saying that Bishara\'s political party could possibly be outlawed based on its leaders statements. Political Parties Registrar Elisha Tsidon, however, has refused to accept the challenge, saying that an anti-Israel group may not be registered as a political party, but once it is already registered, he has no authority to nullify it. This angle has not been totally ruled out, however.
Atty. Elyakim Ha\'etzni of Kiryat Arba attacked the Attorney-General\'s approach: \"It\'s not a question of invalidating his special passport, or whether he can be indicted for supporting terrorism. There is a clear law that governs these situations: The Law of Citizenship, 5712 (1952), Section 11b, which states as follows: \"The Interior Minister is authorized to nullify the citizenship of someone who performed an action comprising breach of trust vis-a-vis the State of Israel.\" If this case [of Bishara\'s remarks] is not covered by this clause, then what IS covered? Rubenstein doesn\'t mention this law at all! He says that he can\'t be prosecuted, but he\'s looking for the coin under the wrong streetlight. He keeps talking about the new ruling regarding incitement to terrorism, which can\'t be applied - but if they would simply revoke Bishara\'s citizenship, he simply won\'t be able to return to Israel, and he\'ll be stuck in Syria... And what about the law against sedition, which forbids incitement to uprising, and incitement of one group of citizens against the other, etc. Why is it that I myself was tried under this law, as were others, but regarding the Arabs, this law is simply forgotten?!\"
Later this afternoon, Interior Minister Yeshai appeared to adopt Ha\'etzni\'s first suggestion. After consulting with his office\'s legal department, Yeshai turned to Attorney-General Rubenstein and asked for authorization to revoke the citizenship of MK Azmi Bishara according to Section 11b of the Law of Citizenship. \"Bishara has crossed all red lines,\" Yeshai said. \"There is a limit, and it\'s time to set it.\"
Other reactions:
MK Amnon Rubenstein (Meretz) said that although Bishara\'s remarks are very grave, his party must not be outlawed. He also opined that the outlawing of Kach several years ago was an error.
Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg decided to call an emergency meeting of the Knesset Ethics Committee regarding Bishara\'s speech. He said that Bishara\'s remarks were the gravest of any ever made by an Arab MK against Israel, and that Bishara had stretched his Parliamentary immunity to the limit of Israeli tolerance and patience.
The NRP and Minister Tzachi Hanegbi feel that he must be made to stand trial. MK Yuli Edelstein (Yisrael B\'Aliyah), however, said that he thinks Bishara should not be tried, explaining, \"From my experience with the Israeli law system, he\'ll end up being exonerated, and then he\'ll feel he has a legal stamp of approval for his incitement...\"
MK Yossi Sarid said: \"Bishara has undoubtedly passed all lines that a cultured person would draw for himself... His remarks are worthy of condemnation, and they do great damage to the cause of peace, and the chance that the Middle East will ever become a more peaceful place. I wonder what this Knesset Member actually wants...\"