Arab MK tears up ‘deal of the century’ in Knesset and steps on it

Knesset member Ahmad Tibi

Middle East Monitor  /  February 19, 2020

Ahmad Tibi, deputy in the Israeli Knesset on the joint Arab list, tore down a draft of US “Deal of the Century” and stepped on it. He said that this deal will end up “under people’s feet” referring to the incitement campaign led by the head of the Occupation government Benjamin Netanyahu against the joint list and the Palestinians within the occupied territories.

“During the past election, we were exposed to incitement campaigns launched by PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is involved in corruption and bribery cases. Netanyahu who said that “the Arabs are running to the polls” also stated on Facebook that the Arabs are vandals. They want to kill the children of the Jews, according to the newspaper,” said Tibi, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

Tibi also attacked in his speech the Blue and White party, addressing his words to the party leader, Benny Gantz, and saying: “He made a big mistake when he adopted the “Deal of the Century”, especially with regard to the plan to transfer 300, 000 Arabs, who live in Israel, from the Triangle.”

He said that the increase in support for the Joint List now intimidates Netanyahu. The prime minister knows very well that every additional seat for the Joint List will place another nail in the coffin of his political career and push him further in the direction of his house or the prison.  In this sense, the Israeli PM is carrying out dangerous incitement campaigns against a Palestinian Arab minority in the state of Israel and trying to delegitimise their legal status as citizens. ”

Tibi stressed that the response to Netanyahu’s incitement campaigns will be to intensify efforts to achieve the most significant objective of the joint list, which represents the Palestinian Arab community inside the occupied territories and follows-up their issues and concerns and presents them here in Parliament, on the ground and in all platforms; noting that “the joint list faces racist policies and laws against the Palestinians living in the occupied territories and the Occupation oppressive practices in the occupied territories.”

Tibi addressed his speech to Gantz, who was present at the plenary session, saying: “You made a grave mistake by supporting and adopting the “Deal of the Century”, in addition to delaying the issuance of a response for two weeks on the article relating to the transfer of Palestinians from the Triangle area.

He stated that “the residents of the Triangle are the original population of the country. They arrived in the country, neither by plane nor by ship, and no one will be able to take away their rights away. They are not chess pieces in the hands of Donald Trump, or Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of bribery and corruption. We reject the “Deal of the Century” and its content. We will only accept Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of the Palestinian state. Only the Palestinians have the right to determine their fate, not Trump and his followers. The country has been ruled for years by extremist right-wing parties that have been always hostile towards us.”

Tibi concluded by saying to Gantz, who is seeking to head the government, that whoever ignores the joint list today will be ignored by it tomorrow.