Is Israel moving towards a Palestinian-free Knesset?

Israel defines itself as a democratic state with a parliamentary system of proportional representation where the majority rules and the rights of minorities are guaranteed by law. However, Israel’s democratic principles, particularly under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have come under criticism for falling short on protections of minority rights in the country. 

 

At the end of last month, the Israeli Knesset, voted in favour of a controversial bill called the “Suspension Law”. The legislation, which passed the first of three rounds of voting, would allow lawmakers to suspend an elected member of the Knesset (MK) with a three-quarters majority. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Likud Party meeting the law is “meant to remove MKs who stand against Israel and for terrorism.” Grounds for suspension include negating the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism, and supporting armed struggle by a hostile state or a terrorist organisation against the State of Israel.
 

The idea for the bill originated after three Israeli-Palestinian MKs from the Balad Party visited the families of Palestinians killed during attacks against Israelis. Some reports alleged that the MKs wanted to give their condolences to the families for the death of their sons. The MKs, however, said they were there to discuss problems faced  by the families when they tried to take the bodies of their sons back.
 

The visit angered some Israeli politicians who pushed for the suspension law. But Israeli-Palestinian lawmakers say the legislation is more about limiting the political representation of Israel’s Palestinian minority than the visit itself. Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List, a political alliance of Arab-dominated parties in Israel, says this new bill undermines democratic principles and aims to “serve as a silencing tactic while also impeding MKs’ ability to faithfully fulfill the mandate they received from their voters”.
 

Some 24 percent of Israeli citizens are Palestinian. In this episode we look at the Israeli-Palestinian experience with Israeli democracy and what this new legislation means for the future of their political representation. 

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Yousef Jabareen @DrJabareen                 
Knesset Member, Joint List
facebook.com/JabareenYousef

Haviv Rettig Gur @havivrettiggur               
Senior Analyst, Times of Israel
timesofisrael.com

Neve Gordon @nevegordon
Author, ‘Israel’s Occupation’ and ‘The Human Right to Dominate’
israelsoccupation.info

Soheir Asaad @soheirasaad
Palestinian activist

Does Israel’s “MK suspension bill” undermine democratic rights of minorities in the country?Share your thoughts below.