Lieberman to Arab MK: We'll deal with you like we dealt with Hamas

Heated confrontation breaks out at Supreme Court after Arab parties appeal decision to bar them from running in upcoming Knesset elections. MK El-Sana tells Yisrael Beiteinu chairman, 'You're a new immigrant and inciter.' Lieberman replies, 'You're a terrorist representing terrorists'

Aviad Glickman |Published: 01.20.09 , 10:58

A heated confrontation erupted Tuesday morning between an Arab and a right-wing Knesset member before the start of a Supreme Court hearing on an appeal filed by two Arab parties against the decision to bar them from running in the upcoming elections.

MK Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta'al) called out towards Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, "Get the hell out of here." Lieberman replied, "You're a terrorist representing terrorists. We'll deal with you like with any other terrorist, like we dealt with Hamas."

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Lieberman told reporters, "This is discussion for the purpose of setting a policy. This is the first time we examine the border between loyalty and disloyalty. Do we wish to give someone a license to kill the state of Israel as a Jewish and Zionist state?

Arab and right-wing MKs side by side (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"The court should not have intervened in this issue from the start. This is a clash between the legislative authority and the judiciary."

MK El-Sana lashed out at him, saying, "You are a new immigrant, you can't even speak Hebrew, and you're constantly inciting. You come here to gain votes at the expense of the Arab public. You are an enemy of the state."

'Fascist immigrants'

At this point MK Ahmad Tibi walked in, and Lieberman said, "Here's another clown, another terrorist."

Tibi called out, "There are fascist immigrants here who want to deprive the Arabs of their right to live and be presented. We were here before you. You immigrated here and want to throw us out of here. You are dancing on the blood of Palestinian children and seeking to terminate the political leadership of Israel's Arabs."

MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beitrinu) joined the heated discussion and called out towards Tibi, "Go back to Damascus, you're a terrorist. What have you ever done for the Israeli Arabs? You are (former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser) Arafat's chief assistant."

Tibi responded, "We own this land, not you. Your message is to destroy and expel."

Liberman concluded by saying, "If a decision isn't made, the next Knesset will have to enact a clear law setting the limits to disloyalty and maintaining an option to revoke the citizenship of that wing of terror organizations which exists in the Knesset today."

The 500-page appeal was filed Monday with the court by Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

The appeal, filed by Attorney Hassan Jabrin and Orna Cohen, claims that the Elections Committee's decision to disqualify the two parties "violated the rules of natural justice and ignored the opinion of the attorney general, which stated that there is no evidence justifying preventing the two lists from taking part in the Knesset elections."