Israeli deputy minister calls on Arab MKs to 'return' Israeli IDs

Israeli Member of the Knesset and Deputy Interior Minister Yaron Mazuz yesterday called on Arab MKs to “return” their Israeli IDs, Arab48.com reported.

After rejecting a bill by MKs Aida Touma-Sliman from the Joint Arab List and Zahava Gal-On from Meretz, that would allow Palestinians married to Israelis to become citizens, Mazuz said: “We are doing you [Arab MKs] a favour by letting you sit here [in the Knesset]. You should give back your [Israeli] IDs.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, Mazuz then turned to Arab MK Haneen Zoabi from the Joint Arab List and told her she should be the first to have her citizenship revoked. “Anyone who supports terrorism won’t be here,” he told her.

Following Mazuz’s tirade of racist accusations against Arabs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood up and said: “No one has the right to raise false accusations of war crimes against IDF soldiers who protect all of us.”

He also accused MK Basel Ghattas from the Joint Arab List of hypocrisy for ignoring atrocities in Syria and Yemen while he boards the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla III.

“I didn’t hear condemnations from the MKs here on the real war crimes happening in Syria, and Yemen. I didn’t hear a word on these issues, all I hear is false preaching against IDF soldiers,” Netanyahu said.

At this point, Touma-Sliman heckled Netanyahu, saying that anyone thought Netanyahu would condemn Mazuz’s statements was mistaken. “Those who expected the prime minister to defend our right to do our jobs must have been dreaming. The prime minister is justifying Yaron Mazuz’s campaign of indictment. We are being slandered,” she said, “shame on him.”

She added: “I am a native of this land. My father was born here before the establishment of the state. No one is doing me a favour by giving me an ID card.”