Latest news with #Odeh
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel's Knesset votes to impeach Palestinian lawmaker Ayman Odeh
Israel's Knesset House Committee voted to advance the impeachment of prominent lawmaker Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, on Monday, over comments he made earlier this year, which were perceived as being pro-Palestinian and against the war in Gaza. Lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and opposition Yesh Atid and National Unity parties voted 14-2 in favour of impeachment, while two Knesset members from the Palestinian Ra'am and Ta'al parties opposed the move. Odeh had earned the scorn of several Israeli lawmakers earlier this year when he welcomed a long-awaited ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. "I am happy about the release of the hostages and prisoners. From here, both peoples must be freed from the yoke of the occupation. We were all born free," Odeh wrote on 19 January after Hamas released three Israeli women after 471 days in captivity.
Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel's Knesset votes to advance impeachment of Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh
Israel's Knesset House Committee voted to advance the impeachment of prominent Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh on Monday, over comments he made earlier this year which were perceived as being pro-Palestinian and against the war on Gaza. Lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and opposition Yesh Atid and National Unity parties voted 14-2 in favour of impeachment, while two Knesset members from the Palestinian Ra'am and Ta'al parties opposed the move. Odeh had earned the scorn of several Israeli lawmakers earlier this year when he welcomed a long-awaited ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. "I am happy about the release of the hostages and prisoners. From here, both peoples must be freed from the yoke of the occupation. We were all born free," Odeh wrote on 19 January after Hamas released three Israeli women after 471 days in captivity. Then last month, Odeh drew further criticism after a speech he gave during an anti-war demonstration in Haifa. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "After more than 600 days, there is a majority among the two people that says: 'I wish these days hadn't happened'," he said. "This is a historic loss for the right-wing ideology that was defeated in Gaza. Gaza won, and Gaza will win," Odeh added. Following Monday's vote, Odeh, who also serves as the head of the Hadash-Ta'al party, accused the Israeli opposition of crossing a "red line" by joining ranks with coalition government members and voting for his impeachment. 'There is a clear campaign of incitement against Ayman Odeh. It was a field trial, and unfortunately, members of the opposition joined in' - Aida Touma-Sliman, Hadash-Ta'al "Instead of fighting the Kahanist government, it [the opposition] collaborated with it in crushing the democratic space. Some of them hate us more than they love democracy," Odeh said. "They want to subdue the judicial system, silence critical voices, and turn Israel into a messianic dictatorship. Today it's me - tomorrow it's you. Anyone who dares to oppose will be next in line," Odeh added, as he called on the opposition to "wake up". Aida Touma-Sliman, an Arab politician from the Hadash-Ta'al party, also condemned the opposition for backing impeachment, telling Middle East Eye that "everyone who was present at the debate understood where the wind was blowing". "There is a clear campaign of incitement against Ayman Odeh. It was a field trial, and unfortunately, members of the opposition joined in," she said. "I can't understand the logic. If you want to present yourself as a visionary opposition, why do you support impeachment? "If the opposition has any real hope for a change, it's the partnership with us. We can't make a change alone, but without us a change can't be made," she added. The final decision now rests with the Knesset Plenum, where a majority of 90 lawmakers are required to vote in favour of removing Odeh from parliament. 'Odeh is our eighth front' Speaking to reporters after the vote, Avigdor Lieberman, an opposition lawmaker who nearly a decade ago said there were "no innocent people" in Gaza, said he hoped all 90 lawmakers would vote to impeach Odeh. "He [Odeh] can sit in the Hamas parliament in Gaza, or with the Houthis, but he has nothing to do in the Israeli Knesset," Lieberman said. His position was echoed by Ofir Katz, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and chairman of the committee, who accused Odeh of being the eighth front in Israel's war. "While the soldiers are fighting on seven fronts, we have to clear the eighth front, and Ayman Odeh is our eighth front," Katz said in the debate. Since the 7 October attacks on southern Israel, the Israeli government has repeatedly claimed that it is fighting a war on seven fronts, having to combat Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinians in the West Bank, the Houthi movement in Yemen, Syria's new leaders, Shia militias in Iraq, and the Iranian government and its religious establishment. Meanwhile last week, Likud lawmaker Osher Shekalim, who has repeatedly advocated for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza, said that in any other country Odeh would have faced a "firing squad". Trump calls Netanyahu's corruption trial 'witch hunt' as he eyes progress on Gaza ceasefire Read More » Speaking to reporters, Sagit Ofek, the Knesset's legal adviser, also condemned Odeh but said that it was "doubtful" whether his remarks met the threshold of expressing "support for an armed struggle by a terrorist organisation". Still, Hassan Jabareen, an attorney who represented Odeh before the committee, derided the vote saying it was "not a legal process but a campaign of political persecution." 'This is part of a broader fascist and racist campaign targeting Arab political parties and their representatives," Jabreen said. "This process signals what is likely to come in the upcoming elections: a fierce right-wing assault on all Arab political parties and their representatives," Jabareen added. Meanwhile, Touma-Sliman said that the attempts to silence criticial Palestinian voices in Israel was part of Israel's long-standing aim of crushing Palestinian activism "Every time they try to silence us, we get stronger," she said. "The campaign of dehumanisation and delegitimisation of the Palestinians does not end at the Green Line," she said referring to the demarcation line which is supposed to separate Israel from the occupied West Bank. "The attempt to define us as an enemy is part of their attempt to have fewer Palestinians here." Palestinian citizens of Israel comprise about 20 percent of the country's 9.7 million population. They are the descendants of the native population, which was violently displaced by Zionist militias during the creation of Israel in 1948. For decades, they have suffered under discriminatory laws and practices imposed by the Israeli state.
Days of Palestine
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Israeli High Court Orders Eviction of Two Palestinian Families in Silwan
DayofPal– Israel's High Court issued a ruling on Wednesday ordering the eviction of two Palestinian families, Shweiki and Odeh, from their homes in the Batan Al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, located just south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The families have been given 30 days to vacate the properties, which are targeted by Israeli settler organizations seeking to expand control over Palestinian homes in the area. Among those facing eviction is 79-year-old Asmahan Shweiki, a lifelong resident of Silwan. Shweiki has endured decades of hardship under Israeli occupation, having lost two of her sons to Israeli gunfire, her son Zahri was killed in 1990 in the Al-Muraghah area of Silwan, and her other son, Nizar, was killed in 2000 inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Her husband also passed away in recent years. According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the eviction order was originally issued in 2020 but was frozen by the Israeli attorney general. Recently, however, the case was abruptly reopened and assigned to a judge known for his far-right ideological leanings, who issued the eviction ruling without hearing full legal arguments from the families' defense. Batan Al-Hawa is among the most heavily targeted neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, where settler organizations, with direct backing from Israeli authorities, have intensified efforts to take over Palestinian properties. These moves are part of a broader policy of forced displacement and demographic engineering in the Holy City. The latest court decision follows a series of settler-related developments in the area. Last month, the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality announced the near completion of a new sports complex in the Ma'ale HaZeitim settlement, built on confiscated land in the Ras al-Amud area of Silwan. The complex, expected to officially open in 2026, is described as a 'safe and comfortable space for young settlers living in the heart of Arab neighborhoods,' a move widely seen as an effort to normalize settler presence in East Jerusalem. Ma'ale HaZeitim was first established in 1997 under then-mayor Ehud Olmert, following the seizure of land owned by the Palestinian Ghoul family. Since then, dozens of Jewish families have moved into homes taken from Palestinians, entrenching the settlement's foothold in the area. Additionally, on Wednesday, the municipality inaugurated a new public park on land belonging to Silwan residents, naming it 'Moshe Arens Park' after a former Israeli defense and foreign minister with ties to the pre-state Irgun militia, notorious for its role in violent attacks against Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba. This park is the ninth of its kind established on Palestinian land since October 7, 2023, as part of a broader effort to Judaize Jerusalem and encircle the Al-Aqsa Mosque with settler and municipal projects. Local and international rights organizations have condemned these measures as part of an ongoing strategy of displacement, annexation, and settlement expansion, which violate international law and threaten the fabric of Palestinian life in Jerusalem. Shortlink for this post:
Business Recorder
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
MP calls out lack of bomb shelters in Arab-Israeli communities
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Ayman Odeh, an Israeli member of parliament of Palestinian descent, accused the government on Sunday of failing to provide Arab-Israeli communities with enough shelters after an Iranian missile killed four people in the city of Tamra. 'The state, unfortunately, still distinguishes between blood and blood,' Odeh lamented on X, after touring the city of 37,000 predominantly Arab residents. A house there was destroyed by a missile launched by Iran overnight in response to Israel's unprecedented attacks on the Islamic republic's military and nuclear sites. 'Four civilians were killed yesterday: Manar al-Qassem Abu al-Hija Khatib (39), her two daughters Hala (13) and Shada (20), and their relative Manar Diab Khatib (41),' Odeh said, adding that 'dozens more' were wounded.
Yomiuri Shimbun
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Saudi Arabia Says Israel Shows ‘Extremism' by Blocking West Bank Visit
Reuters Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, attends the Ministerial Committee Assigned by the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza as they meet in Amman, Jordan, June 1, 2025. AMMAN, June 1 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said the Israeli government's refusal to allow a delegation of Arab ministers into the occupied West Bank showed its 'extremism and rejection of peace'. His statement came during a joint press conference in Amman with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain, after they met as part of an Arab contact group that was going to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. 'Israel's refusal of the committee's visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for (a) peaceful pathway .. It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance,' the Saudi minister said. On Saturday, Israel said it would not allow a planned meeting on Sunday that would have included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said. Bin Farhan's visit to the West Bank would have marked the first such visit by a top Saudi official in recent memory. An Israeli official said the ministers intended to take part in a 'provocative meeting' to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said blocking the trip was another example of how Israel was 'killing any chance of a just and comprehensive' Arab-Israeli settlement. An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is due to be held in New York on June 17-20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would cover security arrangements after a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians would remain on their land and foil any Israeli plans to evict them. Commenting on blocking the visit, Israeli Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh said the Arab foreign ministers' delegation aimed to end the Gaza war, enhance the Palestinian Authority's role, and support a Saudi-French U.N. initiative to set up a roadmap for a Palestinian state Odeh told Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya Television that the Saudi-French initiative could lead to broader international recognition of a Palestinian state, a move he said contradicts Israeli government policy. According to Odeh, the Israeli government seeks to undermine the Palestinian Authority because it views it as the 'nucleus of the Palestinian state.' He said Israel blocked the Arab foreign ministers' visit because it could have helped strengthen the Palestinian Authority. Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries that favour a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.
