Ramallah: The Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, Haneen Al Zoabi, had a narrow escape on Wednesday night after several Israeli far right and ultraorthodox colonists attacked her in Soroko Hospital in Beer Al Sabe’a (Bir Sheba). At the time the parliamentarian was visiting three Palestinian-Israeli girls who had sustained light injuries from a rocket fired from Gaza.
The colonists could not attack Al Zoabi physically but a hot argument erupted between the parliamentarian and the colonists before Al Zoabi was taken out of the hospital. Al Zoabi was attacked verbally with racist and discriminatory comments, including being told the colonists were wishing and praying a rocket would fall on her head.
The attackers told the Israeli daily Yedoit Ahranoth that they had known about the planned visit of Al Zoabi to the three hospitalised Palestinian girls and the colonists decided to attack her there.
Palestinian citizens of Israel are those who were not forced to leave their native lands when the Israeli regime was established in 1948. They lived under military rule for almost two decades and continue to face systematic discrimination. They are, however, allowed to vote and run for elections.
Zoabi has been a vocal opponent of Israeli policies since being elected to the parliament, the Knesset, in 2009. She attracted particular attention after three Israeli colonists went missing near Hebron at the beginning of June. At issue for the Israelis has been Al Zoabi’s refusal to condemn what Israelis announced as a Hamas kidnapping followed by murder. Al Zoabi said then that the kidnappers were not terrorists but ordinary people searching for liberty and freedom.
“I do not feel shy for my stances, comments and statements, but you should be shy for what you do. You have murdered more than 200 Palestinians and assume that it is your right to live but it is not the rights of the Palestinians to live,” she shouted at her attackers at Soroko Hospital.
The Arabs48 website has quoted Al Zoabi as saying following the attack, “The Palestinian rockets will remain landing on their heads as long as my people remain under the Israeli occupation and blockade.”
Al Zoabi said she was worried and disturbed by the Israeli government, military forces, diplomats and ultraorthodox Jews who incite sentiments against Palestinians.
She stressed that her attackers have acted out of and were motivated by hatred and revenge and that is the culture of the majority in Israeli society. She maintained that that society is controlled by the policy of an establishment that wants to see an end to Palestinian existence all over historic Palestine.
Meanwhile, video footage presented on Wednesday by the commander of the police operations to an interior Knesset committee session sparked a heated confrontation between the committee’s chairperson, far right Likud Knesset member Miri Regev, and the Palestinian member of the Knesset, Jamal Zahalqah, who was ordered to be removed from the session by force by the guards upon instruction from Regev.
At the committee meeting, several committee members led by Moshe Feiglin, the leader of daily incursions and raids into Al Aqsa compound, started yelling that Muslims must be prevented from praying at the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
Zahalqa responded: “How can you have the audacity to talk about building the temple? This is a sacred place for Muslims and will remain so.” Zionist Jews believe the ancient Temple of Solomon lies beneath the mosque and should be rebuilt on top of it.
Israeli parliamentarians lost their temper and called Zahalqa a “provocateur” who supports terrorism, and Regev ordered the guards to remove him from the session. After guards escorted Zahalqa outside, he yelled at the Israelis: “You are murderers and criminals. Have you not had enough killing? Your hands are covered with blood.”
