Knesset Ethics Committee sanctions Arab MKs for comments on Hamas war

The Knesset's Ethics Committee voted to sanction Ra'am MK Iman Khatib-Yassin and Hadash-Ta'al MK Aida Touma-Sliman on Wednesday for recent comments and social media posts made by them relating to Hamas's October 7 attack and the subsequent war.

Khatib-Yassin was suspended for a month without pay for two weeks after saying last week that babies weren't slaughtered and women weren't raped during October 7.

The Ra'am MK said her comment was based on a lack of evidence in the IDF documentary which is made up of security footage and footage from body cams taken from terrorists who were killed or captured. She had not, however, seen the documentary and said she was relying on firsthand reports from people who had.

Following the statement, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas told Khatib-Yassin to resign, saying that there was no place for her in the party's list. She did not resign, but she did apologize.

She also apologised to the Ethics Committee and spoke in the Knesset plenum on Monday saying that the events of October 7 were strongly opposed to her morals as a person and as a religious Muslim woman.

Denial an 'ethical violation'

The committee said that despite Khatib-Yassin's apologies, it sees her comment as a denial of the October 7 massacre and, therefore, a serious risk to public faith in the Knesset.

"The committee decided unanimously that denial of the horrors faced by many of Israel's citizens and soldiers by an official public representative of the State of Israel is extremely severe and is a severe ethical violation," said the committee. "As such, the committee unanimously decided to sanction MK Khatib-Yassin with suspension from Knesset and plenum meetings for a month without pay for two weeks."

Touma-Sliman was sanctioned for sharing accusations against the IDF on Twitter on Sunday.

"From Shifa Hospital testimonies: Bombed operation rooms, a smell of phosphorus in the air, only seven surgeons remain of 48, and live fire on the displaced in the 'humanitarian corridors'," she wrote. "And they still insist here: The 'world's most ethical' army doesn't harm innocents and doesn't attack hospitals!"

The Ethics committee noted that Touma-Sliman had not deleted the tweet, nor had she apologised.

When she appeared before the committee on the matter, the MK claimed that her tweet only shared existing testimonies and was valid under the wide freedom of expression afforded to MKs.

"The committee believes that the accusation of IDF war crimes by the MK assists the enemies of the State of Israel to damage its legitimacy, whether intentional or not," said the committee in its decision.

As such, the committee voted to suspend Touma-Sliman from committee and plenum meetings for two months without pay for two weeks.

Touma-Sliman said in response to the Ethics Committee that her suspension was the committee silencing her as well as the entire public that she represents.

"I see the Ethics Committee's decision, which crushes freedom of expression in the Knesset, severely," she said. "It's not an accident that the sanctions placed against me are those of suspension, silencing, and denial of my right and duty to take part in Knesset committees and the plenum and criticize governmental decisions. It is clear to me that the goal is not to preserve the honor of the Knesset and its status, but to silence any criticism that is not in line with the opinion of the majority."

She ended by saying that she would continue to present her views and act according to her principles.

Hadash-Ta'al backed her up, echoing her position that there was no ethical issue with her tweet and that she was exercising her freedom of expression.

Ben-Gvir calls for expulsion 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was not satisfied with the sanctions issued against Khatib-Yassin and Touma-Sliman.

"This is a joke," he said. "They have to be expelled from the Knesset, and it should have happened already."