Israeli right hails decision to indict Zoabi

Right wing politicians have hailed a decision by Israel’s attorney general to try Member of the Knesset Hanin Zoabi on charges of incitement and insulting a civil servant.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for Zoabi to be prosecuted not only for insulting a government employee, but for openly and constantly undermining the state. “I hope that this time the High Court will not allow Zoabi to run once again for Knesset and will prove that those who act against the State of Israel and support its enemies cannot be members of its parliament,” he said

Last week, Likud MK Danny Danon appeared in a video calling to “throw Zoabi behind bars because she leads an incitement campaign against the army soldiers and Israel”.

Israel’s Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said yesterday that Zoabi may be tried for incitement and offending a police officer of Arab origin following an altercation in July.

The director of the Adala Center for Human Rights and Zoabi’s lawyer, attorney Hassan Jabarin said: “We will request a hearing soon, aiming at convincing the attorney general not to file an indictment against Zoabi. In my opinion, there are no legal grounds for the indictment or its trial.”

The incident over which Zoabi is investigated took place in July 2014 in a Nazareth court, where Zoabi allegedly insulted policemen stationed at the building and urged others to harm them. Zoabi allegedly referred to two policemen, both Arabs, as “traitors” and shouted at those present that they should “spit in their faces” for working for Israel.

Jabarin said Zoabi’s reaction came in the heat of the moment and in reaction to police brutality against the detained minors.

A month ago, the Haifa District Court said that the Israeli police violated the rights of Arab minors who were detained and put pressure on them to confess to participating in protests which erupted after the killing of the Mohammed Abu Khdeir by settlers in occupied Jerusalem.