Joint List defends itself from criticism after U.N. meeting
“We represent our voters and our democracy and not the crazy, right-wing government,” the Joint List said in a statement.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: AUGUST 30, 2018 02:35MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Joint List) (photo credit: JOINT ARAB LIST)
The Joint List responded to a recent wave of criticism against Arab MKs on Wednesday by accusing their critics of incitement.The wave of criticism began after it was revealed that Joint List MK Aida Touma-Sliman met last week with UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo in New York to seek support for her party’s battle against the newly approved Jewish Nation-State Law.Since then, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) called the Arab MKs traitors, Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer asked Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit to investigate whether they broke the law, and Construction Minister Yoav Gallant asked them to stop “inciting against the state.”“We represent our voters and our democracy and not the crazy right-wing government,” the Joint List said in a statement. “We sharply condemn the wave of incitement against our MKs by ministers, MKs [and] biased journalists since our appeal to international bodies and institutions to apply pressure to cancel the racist law that harms Arabs and destroys any chance for democracy, equality, peace and justice.”The Joint List said the use of the word “traitors” could lead to their MKs being physically harmed. The faction blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who they said was directly responsible for what they said was a dangerous wave, including attacks on Arabs on the beach on Saturday and in other places.“No one can silence us, and we will continue in our struggle until the racist law is completely canceled and all forms of discrimination, exclusion and apartheid end,” the Joint List said.