Arab MK caught photographing documents in Knesset plenum

Odeh was caught on camera photographing something lying on the table of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. He was later revealed to have photographed a book.

By MAARIV ONLINE, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Joint List leader Ayman Odeh addresses the Knesset: Odeh has suggested, for the first time, that Israeli Arabs would be willing to join a government coalition (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Joint List leader Ayman Odeh addresses the Knesset: Odeh has suggested, for the first time, that Israeli Arabs would be willing to join a government coalition
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

MK Ayman Odeh (Joint List) was caught on Thursday on Knesset Channel cameras, photographing something lying on the table of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid during budget debates. Odeh was caught on camera leaning over the table and taking pictures, moments after Lapid got up. 

The Knesset has been in session since Wednesday evening debating the 2021-2022 budget. 

Although Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Economy Minister Orna Barbivay were still sitting at the table, Odeh pulled out his cell phone and took the picture. However, it seems that those sitting around the table did not notice it at all.

A number of news agencies have reported that the photograph may have been of sensitive material. Religious Zionist MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) went as far as to call Odeh a terrorist and demand that Attorney-General Mandelblit summon him for questioning. 

Shortly afterward, Odeh himself tweeted the photo he took, where it was discovered that Lapid had left the book of political commentator Amit Segal on his desk. Odeh added the humorous caption to the photo: "To all the questioners, I passed classified material to the left-wing media."



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Budget
Knesset
Yair Lapid
Ayman Odeh