Former Knesset member Haneen Zoabi.
‘Israeli’ authorities arrest former Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi
‘Israeli’ authorities arrested former Knesset member Haneen Zoabi from her home in Nazareth on Sunday morning.
Zoabi was the first Arab woman to be elected to the Knesset on an Arab party's list. She served as a member of the Knesset for the Balad party between 2009 and 2019
‘Israeli’ police have charged her with "incitement to terrorism" in connection with her stances against the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Background
According to statements from human rights organizations, Zoabi's arrest came after she published an op-ed last week that heavily criticized ‘Israel's’ actions in Gaza and stated that resistance to occupation is a legitimate right.
The ‘Israeli’ public prosecution viewed these statements as "incitement and support for a terrorist organization" and issued an order for her arrest.
Haneen Zoabi, 56, is one of the most controversial Palestinian political figures in ‘Israel’. During her time in the Knesset, representing the National Democratic Assembly party (Balad), she was known for her consistent challenges to the ‘Israeli’ establishment.
One of her most notable moments, which sparked a storm of incitement against her, was her participation in the 2010 "Freedom Flotilla" aboard the Mavi Marmara, which was attacked by ‘Israeli forces’.
Following that incident, Zoabi faced a fierce campaign that called for the removal of her parliamentary immunity and her trial on charges of "treason."
The National Democratic Assembly party condemned Zoabi's arrest, calling it a "political arrest of the highest degree and part of a fascist campaign to silence voices and terrorize anyone who rejects the genocide."
