In potentially precedent-setting votes Wednesday, the Knesset stripped Arab MK Azmi Bishara (Balad) of his parliamentary immunity, making him eligible to stand trial on charges of supporting "terrorist" organizations and arranging illegal visits to Syria by Israeli Arab citizens.
It was the first time in the country's history that an MK's immunity has been lifted so that he can be tried for statements made in public, said the Tel Aviv-based Haaretz.
The Knesset also approved a first reading of Likud MK Yisrael Katz's bill from future Knesset candidacy any person who advocates armed struggle against Israel or who supports terrorist organizations, said the report.
According to the paper, the vote on Bishara's public statements was 61 in favor of lfting immunity, 30 opposed. The vote over the illegal visits was 65 in favor, 24 opposed. There were two abstentions in each vote.
In the wake of the vote, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein was expected to file an indictment against the MK in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court and proceedings against him will then begin.
Rubinstein has prepared two indictments against Bishara. The first is for remarks made by Bishara on two separate occasions - at a rally in Umm al Fahm, and at a memorial service near Damascus this summer marking the one-year anniversary of President Hafez Assad's death. At the latter, Bishara called on Arab countries to "provide wider support for the Palestinian people's struggle against the [Israeli] occupation," while praising Hizbollah as a heroic example of "Islamic resistance."
The second indictment is for organizing illegal trips to Syria for Israeli Arabs. Although Bishara can travel to Syria legally on his diplomatic passport, it is against the law for ordinary citizens to visit a country with which Israel is at war without a special permit.
Bishara has said that his statements were made in the context of his role as an MK, and are therefore covered by substantive immunity. According to Bishara, the indictment against him is an attempt to redraw the democratic boundaries in Israel. He emphasized that he was making a distinction between the killing of innocent civilians and legitimate opposition to occupation.
In a statement to Al Jazeera satellite channel after the vore, Bishara said that the lawsuits against him are part of a campaign against the Arab Israelis – Albawaba.com
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