Eitan has asked Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to immediately appoint a committee, headed by a judge, to investigate the chain of events following the weekend firecracker incident in Nazareth. "How did it happen," Eitan wants to know, "that a human tragedy [involving] a Jewish man and a Christian woman so easily became an incitement campaign against the Jewish People and the State of Israel?"
MK Eitan says that the police and the media had a major part in the above developments. "The police and press reported the incident as if it were a religious-based terrorist attack by Jews," Eitan said. "This message is that which gave the incident, in its first hours, a political and inter-religious character, and contributed to the fanning of the flames at the protest rally in Nazareth."
Eitan has also turned to the Knesset Ethics Committee, asking that it look into the statements by Israeli-Arab MKs. "Did their statements not also contribute to the atmosphere of incitement?" he asked, "and did they not abuse their rights and immunity as Knesset Members?"
Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said about the incident, "Why is that when Jewish extremists go crazy, they burn mosques or blow up churches?" Not waiting for an answer to his statement/question, he continued, "This is a grave disease of racism and hatred of Arabs, both Moslem and Christians."
Arab MK Azmi Bishara, speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Israeli-Arab Tracking Committee, said that Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra is "busy inciting against the Arab public in Israel, while trying to undermine the legitimacy of this public."
"If in fact it is found that [the Arab MK's] remarks were those of incitement," MK Eitan said, "[the Knesset Ethics Committee must decide] what means will be taken in order to prevent similar incitement in the future."
MK Eitan says that the police and the media had a major part in the above developments. "The police and press reported the incident as if it were a religious-based terrorist attack by Jews," Eitan said. "This message is that which gave the incident, in its first hours, a political and inter-religious character, and contributed to the fanning of the flames at the protest rally in Nazareth."
Eitan has also turned to the Knesset Ethics Committee, asking that it look into the statements by Israeli-Arab MKs. "Did their statements not also contribute to the atmosphere of incitement?" he asked, "and did they not abuse their rights and immunity as Knesset Members?"
Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said about the incident, "Why is that when Jewish extremists go crazy, they burn mosques or blow up churches?" Not waiting for an answer to his statement/question, he continued, "This is a grave disease of racism and hatred of Arabs, both Moslem and Christians."
Arab MK Azmi Bishara, speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Israeli-Arab Tracking Committee, said that Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra is "busy inciting against the Arab public in Israel, while trying to undermine the legitimacy of this public."
"If in fact it is found that [the Arab MK's] remarks were those of incitement," MK Eitan said, "[the Knesset Ethics Committee must decide] what means will be taken in order to prevent similar incitement in the future."