Arab member of the Knesset Ahmed Tibi condemned the Israel government’s intent to enact a law through the Knesset that would allow it to exile Palestinian families from their areas and described the intended law as “a war crime.”
In press remarks to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) MK Tibi said that “such law only comes from war criminals who should be brought to international justice.”
“We have strongly confronted those who introduced this law and I said that you can kill expel burn steal and uproot but you cannot defeat an entire people” the Arab MK said.
“The bill passed a preliminary reading but in the midst of a racist and fascist atmosphere [at the Knesset] I expect that it will pass all the readings and be approved in the first second and third readings” Tibi affirmed.
“However there is no doubt that the enactment of such law will lead to the exile of many families and will cause serious repercussions” he added.
He also expressed his belief that Israel would escalate the enactment of racist laws that target the Palestinians and increase settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories with the approach of the early elections in mid-2019.
A bill that would allow Israel to exile families of Palestinians accused of attacking Israelis passed the first reading at the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) on Wednesday.
In a tumultuous Knesset session the bill was approved in the first reading by 69-38 votes.
Proposed by Naftali Bennett head of the right-wing Jewish Home party the bill would allow Israeli authorities to expel families of Palestinians who killed or attempted to kill Israelis from their homes to other areas inside the occupied West Bank.
The Arab Knesset members strongly objected to the bill and this led three of them including Tibi to be expelled from the hall.
