Israel: Arab MK receives death threats over Jerusalem remarks 

The Chairman of the Joint Arab List in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), Ayman Odeh MK, said yesterday that he had received “dozens” of death threats after visiting Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday and calling on Arabs serving in Israel’s security forces to lay down their arms, Arab48.com has reported. Odeh pointed out that he is collecting the messages to present them to the Knesset Security Officials.

During his visit to the Old City, he was at the Damascus Gate when he said: “Young Palestinians with Israeli citizenship told me that they were harmed and humiliated. It is humiliating for one of our sons to join the security forces of the occupation. The forces here are humiliating our people, humiliating our families and humiliating everyone who comes to pray [in Al-Aqsa Mosque].”

His position, he said, is that he will be with the people to end the murderous occupation so that Palestine will rise, Palestinian flags will be hoisted on the walls of Jerusalem and peace will spread on the land of peace.

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“The young people must not join the occupying forces. Throw the weapon in their face and tell them that our place is not with you. We will not be part of the injustice and the crime. Our place is with justice and truth, against the occupation,” Odeh continued. “Our place is the natural place, a noble part of the Palestinian Arab people, and in a just war to bring an end to the criminal occupation. For peace to rest on the land of peace.”

In the aftermath of these remarks, Israeli police contacted the State Attorney’s Office to check whether there was any incitement, reported the Jerusalem Post. The newspaper also noted that Likud MK Shlomo Karhi had contacted other MKs in an effort to garner support to impeach Odeh.