The Knesset House Committee’s vote on Monday, in which a decisive majority of 14 MKs – including representatives of opposition parties Yesh Atid and National Unity – supported ousting MK Ayman Odeh from the Knesset with only two MKs opposing it, “wasn’t a mere procedural vote. It provided a direct look into Israeli society’s sickened soul, as reflected in the Knesset,” says on Tuesday morning, July 1, Haaretz editorial. The article was published under the title “Opposition-backed Kahanism: Ousting Ayman Odeh Is the Tyranny of the Jewish Majority.”

MK Ayman Odeh addressing hundreds of Jews and Arabs gathering in his support, outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 30, 2025. (Photo: Zo Haderekh)

In addition, the Jewish US organization, Partners for Progressive Israel (PPI) published yesterday a statement in solidarity with MK Odeh. PPI called for a halt to the expulsion procedure against Odeh.  “MK Odeh has been an interlocutor of PPI at various times during his parliamentary service, is a trusted partner for a two-state peace and a democratic Israel and is one of the most important political leaders of Israel’s Palestinian citizens.”
According to PPI, “MK Odeh has shown up for citizens of Israel irrespective of their ethnic or religious background, including: his steadfast support for workers’ rights, his support of Mizrahi culture within Israel’s political sphere, and his leadership against demolitions of Bedouin villages. Family members of murdered hostages in Gaza have shared their appreciation for his presence at their shiva houses, in stark contrast to many of the Likud-affiliated ministers and MKs pushing for his expulsion from the Knesset.”

PPI Executive Director Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson said, “Tolerance for deep critique and the capacity to insist upon peace in the midst of a brutal war are measures of a healthy and functioning democracy— the Knesset’s procedures against Ayman Odeh are yet another warning sign of eroding democratic norms in Israel. We stand with MK Odeh and call for the immediate cessation of his expulsion procedure. These votes are far more reflective of discrimination and an ideological opposition to the rights of Palestinians inside and beyond Israel’s borders than they are of any meaningful governmental operation.” 

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32802