The Knesset approved on Wednesday the bill submitted by fascist MK Tzvi Sukkot, which amends the Counterterrorism Law and states that “one who publishes words of praise, sympathy, or encouragement for terrorists can be punished with up to five years of jail time.” The bill was passed with a majority of 33 for to 7 against.

The bill’s explanation states that the Counterterrorism Law prohibits solidarity with an act of terror or a terror organization, but the law’s clauses do not supply law enforcement with tools against one who publishes words of praise and sympathy for a terrorist who carries out an attack. The bill seeks to fix this and establish that one who shows solidarity with a terrorist, for instance, on social media, could be punished with up to five years of jail time.

Hadash MK Ayman Odeh kicked off the podium after his support for the Palestinians struggle, July 5, 2023 (Footage: Knesset Channel)

During the deliberations, a storm erupted in the Knesset plenum when MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) stated in regard to the occupation forces operation in Jenin: “Every action has a reaction. There’s a reaction to the occupation, and that’s the resistance. Long live the Jenin Refugee Camp! Boo to you!” Odeh accused the far-right coalition MKs, saying: “Everyone’s blood for your accursed occupation, you are behaving not only as criminals but also as fools. Everyone is proud of Jenin and rightly so, and now more people will join the fighters against this accursed occupation. Every action has a response because it is the law of nature, the occupation has a response and this is the resistance, the resistance to the occupation is legitimate, long live the Jenin refugee camp, long live the Palestinian struggle.”

Odeh was immediately kicked off the podium after his support for Palestinians in Jenin and said, “Take me down, but the Palestinian people will continue to struggle.”

After Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Nissim Vaturi (Likud) removed Odeh a confrontation developed between MK Yousef Atawne (Hadash) and Minister May Golan and MKs Almog Cohen and Hanoch Malivetsky, during which the ushers in the plenum were forced to separate the parties, who almost reached physical violence with each other. At the height of the confrontation, Knesset Attorney General Sagit Afik remarked to the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset that he could not remove Knesset members only from one the podium: “Go downstairs, you are not interfering with me. Get down. This is unacceptable.”

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31096