JERUSALEM (JTA)– Israeli-Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi at a memorial for Yasser Arafat in Ramallah suggested that the Israeli government will soon "propose a ‘death to Arabs’ law."
Tibi, speaking Wednesday before a massive crowd marking the seventh anniversary of the Palestinian leader’s death, was referring to several bills offered by right-wing lawmakers targeting the left that critics have labeled as "anti-democratic." He also slammed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, calling him "the fascist settler that recently came to my homeland," Ynet reported.
Tibi, a former adviser to Arafat, referred to the late PLO chief as "the father of our homeland."
Several Israeli lawmakers will likely file complaints against Tibi for his appearance in Ramallah, a West Bank city that is off-limits for Israeli citizens. Many lawmakers had filed similar complaints against Tibi, a member of the United Arab List-Ta’al Party, when he flew with the Palestinian Authority delegation on Abbas’ plane to the United Nations in September in order to submit a bid for Palestinian statehood.
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