Right-wing extremists attack Arab MP after Netanyahu’s fiery remarks

An Arab lawmaker in the Israeli parliament has been attacked by right-wing extremists days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau made incendiary statements about Arab MPs.

Ahmed Tibi of the third-largest faction in the newly elected Knesset was accosted by several right-wing extremists while entering an event in the central city of Ramat Hasharon on Saturday.

A video of the incident shows one woman trying to hurt Tibi who is prevented from entering the parliament building. 

Police said a woman who had tried to throw sand and branches at Tibi had been arrested for questioning, and later released.

In a fiery speech earlier last month, Netanyahu slammed Benny Gantz, his main challenger in the two elections this year, for allegedly negotiating with “dangerous” Arab MPs, whom he claimed were supporting the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

The move was a “slap in the face of” Israeli troops, Netanyahu stated in front of a rally of Likud supporters who booed the remarks

The Israeli premier said a coalition between Gantz and the Arab party "would be a national historic terror attack” against “Israel and must not happen.”

After the Saturday event, Tibi said Netanyahu’s language towards Arab lawmakers could lead to their murder.

He said he believed one of the Arab lawmakers would have been “murdered” if a minority Israeli regime with his Joint List party's support had been formed.

Joint List head Ayman Odeh called Netanyahu a “psychopath” and accused him of stirring trouble for those who oppose him.

“Netanyahu’s hatred and violence spread like wildfire. Arabs, left-wing Jews, journalists, the judicial system and even members of his own party” are being ideologically attacked, Odeh wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

“The outgoing prime minister is a dangerous psychopath who knows no boundaries. A criminal with his back to the wall. Does anyone doubt that he will deny a political motive for the next murder?” he wrote.

Neither Netanyahu, nor Gantz, the leader of center-left Blue and White political alliance, had enough support in parliament to form a cabinet. 

An opinion poll recently revealed that more than half of settlers in the occupied territories believe Netanyahu must quit after being indicted on a series of corruption charges.

According to the survey conducted by Channel 13 and published last Friday evening, 56% said the charges leveled against Netanyahu were too much for him to continue as the Israeli leader, while 35% said he needed not to step down and the remaining 9% of the respondents said they didn’t know.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are suspected of wrongfully accepting $264,000 worth of jewelry, cigars, champagne and other gifts from wealthy businessmen for political favors in one case.

The Israeli prime minister is also accused of interfering with regulatory bodies and lawmakers on behalf of the biggest selling newspaper in the occupied territories, Ynet, in exchange for positive news coverage and favorable stories about him.

Israeli lawmakers have less than a month to organize a coalition and select a lawmaker to lead a majority regime. There are strong indications that the legislators will not succeed.

Israel will have to hold elections for the third time this year in case Knesset members fail to garner 61 seats in the 120-seat legislature.

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