“The bill establishes the principles of apartheid not only de facto but also de jure” and that parliamentary representation is a right, and they will decide when to make use of that right.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: OCTOBER 17, 2018 11:00MK Haneen Zoabi [Balad] removed from Knesset after protesting during speech by US Vice President Mike Pence (photo credit: YITZHAK HARARI)
The four MKs representing Balad in the Joint List announced a boycott on Monday of all sessions of the Knesset during the first month of the winter session to protest the passage of the Jewish Nation-State Law.In a statement released in English to the international media, the Balad MKs wrote that “the bill establishes the principles of apartheid not only de facto but also de jure” and that parliamentary representation is a right, and they will decide when to make use of that right.“It is impossible to behave as if everything is normal following this legislation,” the Balad MKs wrote. “Balad views the boycott as a further step in both the expanding and the deepening of the political and public struggle against the racist Basic Law. The Palestinian citizens and all those who believe in democracy await further steps in the mounting struggle that expresses their rage as well as opposition against both the law and the ever widening legislative subjugation.”During the time that the MKs will not be in the Knesset plenum and committees, they intend to intensify their campaign against the law using different methods.“We consider our parliamentary representation as a tool of struggle, and we refuse to turn our parliamentary activities into what is obviously expected and lacking profound meaning,” the MKs wrote. “We [oppose] any attempt to turn our representation into an emptied-out farce, bereft of all political sense. We don’t want [serving in the Knesset] to be nothing but a formalistic ritual, that will not allow us to influence the policies aimed against us, nor the deepening fascism and the establishment of a homeland that does not recognize the rights of its indigenous Palestinian population.”The four MKs boycotting will be Jamal Zahalka, Haneen Zoabi, Jourma Azbarga and new MK Neven Abu Rahmoun, who was sworn in to the Knesset on Monday. In her swearing-in speech, in addition to her required oath that she was committed to the laws of the state, Abu Rahmoun said she was also committed to fighting the Nation-State Law.Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post he was not disappointed by the MKs’ decision to boycott the parliament. Noting the many disciplinary measures taken against Zahalka and Zoabi in the past, he said the Knesset Ethics Committee’s work just got easier.“I would not oppose them extending their boycott for another several months until the election,” Edelstein joked. “But if they want to have real influence on our democracy, the way to do it is with votes, not boycotts.”Edelstein received a resignation letter Tuesday from Zionist Union MK Zoheir Bahloul, who announced that he would quit to protest the Nation-State Law three months ago but decided to remain an MK during the Knesset’s extended summer and holiday recess. He will be replaced in the Knesset by the next candidate on the Zionist Union list, former MK Moshe Mizrahi, when the resignation takes effect Thursday.If any more Zionist Union MKs leave the Knesset, Eldad Yaniv, who organized the anti-corruption rallies against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will enter.
![MK Haneen Zoabi [Balad] removed from Knesset after protesting during speech by US Vice President Mike Pence (photo credit: YITZHAK HARARI)](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/413809 "MK Haneen Zoabi [Balad] removed from Knesset after protesting during speech by US Vice President Mike Pence")