In a letter to the Israeli Police and Justice Dept. officials, Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, demands a thorough investigation into attack, attempted of lynch and incitement against Hadash MK Ayman Odeh and calls for perpetrators to be held accountable.
Adalah submitted extensive evidence in a letter to Israeli police commissioner, The Attorney General and State Attorney officials, following the attack on MKs Odeh and Ofer Cassif and others Hadash activists’ residents of the city, during a demonstration in Nes Ziona on last July 19, demanding thorough police investigation and for perpetrators to be held to account.
The letter Adalah sent included dozens of videos, affidavits, inciting publications, and a forensic opinion, all of which clearly demonstrate that the existing public information, which is freely accessible, is sufficient to complete an effective investigation against the perpetrators. Adalah maintains that the incident should be regarded as an “act of terrorism,” according to its definition in Israeli law, and that those responsible for these violent offenses and for incitement should be investigated and prosecuted accordingly.
Hadash MK Ayman Odeh during the last May Day demonstration held in Nazareth (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
On Saturday July 19, local activists invited MK Ayman Odeh to speak at an anti-government, anti-war protest, as part of Israeli weekly demonstrations focused on efforts to secure the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He was invited to speak at the protest following the outrageous attempt to expel him from the Knesset, earlier last month. During one of the Knesset House Committee hearings that was addressing the motion to oust him there was clear incitement towards MK Ayman Odeh, Committee Chair MK Ofir Katz (Likud) declared, “While the soldiers are fighting on seven fronts, the eighth front needs to be cleared, and Ayman Odeh is our eighth.”
After the protest organizers announced that MK Ayman Odeh will be speaking at the event, calls from fascist activists began circulating on social media to prevent his participation. The police received reports of such mobilization and suggested to the organizer that they cancel MK Odeh’s participation, instead of ensuring that he could attend. Despite the Israeli Police having such information, only a very small police force arrived at the demonstration site and there were no measures taken to protect MK Odeh and the demonstrators, who were attacked early on even before the demonstration had begun.
Upon MK Odeh’s arrival, dozens of rioters attacked his car and shouted racist slogans such as “Death to Arabs.” When MK Odeh spoke at the protest, he was attacked again, together with the other demonstrators, as various objects were thrown at them. Following his speech, MK Odeh managed to reach his car, while rioters armed with stones and sticks tried to attack him. At one point, the rioters hurled a large stone that shattered the vehicle’s rear windshield. After these events, the police arrested only three people: one of whom was a demonstrator who had been attacked by the rioters; he was released shortly thereafter at the police station. The court later released the two other individuals who were arrested and detained.
Following these events, right-wing activists uploaded dozens of posts and videos on social media platforms praising, sympathizing and encouraging these assaults; some even explicitly called for repeating such acts in the future. Public figures also posted statements of incitement, Likud MK Tally Gotlib wrote on X that she is proud of the rioters, and Haifa City Council member Zehavit Ben-David stated that it is unfortunate that in her city, where MK Odeh also lives, he does not receive similar treatment.
According to Adalah, “The police’s failure to act on such incitement reflects a broader pattern: while hundreds of Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel have been prosecuted under the Counter-Terrorism Law for social media posts that contain no clear incitement to violence, Jewish Israelis, including public figures, are not held accountable for openly inciting to violence and genocide. Praising prior attacks or calling to repeat them may constitute incitement under Article 24 – Counter-Terrorism Law: a direct call to carry out a terrorist act is prohibited, and praise or support is criminal where, in its context, there is a reasonable possibility it will lead to terrorist violence.”
After the attack, other activists began publishing videos that clearly document the incident and identify the rioters. Two investigative media reports also pointed to the identities of potential suspects. Among the individuals identified was the Director of the Municipal Policing Division, according to the Nes Ziona Municipality’s website.
Adalah demanded that the police take all necessary action to ensure an effective and thorough investigation, that will lead to the prosecution of all those involved before, during and after the riot, including the inciting publications that followed. Regarding the police’s failures, Adalah demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the inadequate handling of the incident—from lack of advanced preparations to the failure in restoring order and preventing violence at the scene, apprehending the assailants, and investigating the incident.
In addition, Adalah also provided an expert opinion by criminologist Dr. Ariel Livneh, which analyzed videos from the incident to assess whether the suspects in the shattering of Ayman Odeh’s car window can be identified; and various recommendations for investigative actions that could lead to the prosecution of those responsible. Adalah also sent a further request to the Mayor of Nes Ziona and to the Municipality’s Legal Advisor demanding that they examine media reports indicating that municipal employees were involved in the riot, and that they take disciplinary action against those involved. In one of the videos, a person identified as someone who served as the Director of the Municipal Policing Division in the Nes Ziona Municipality is seen spitting at MK Odeh’s car and striking it. Additionally, according to an Israeli news channel Kan 11, there were not only municipal employees involved in the riot but also educators, including a schoolteacher and a preschool assistant.
According to MK Odeh, “The riot in Nes Ziona was not accidental: it was a planned, political and racist attack, in full view of the police under Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir, who chose not to stop it. The violence begins in the corridors of the Knesset and the government, where elected officials incite violence, and from there it spills into the street with stones and chants of ‘Death to Arabs.’ Both the Prime Minister and the Knesset Speaker chose not to condemn it, because that’s exactly what they want. As long as the police and the State Attorney’s Office remain silent, they legitimize the violence. This is only a preview of what this government wants to see in the next elections. Therefore, we must stand firm and united—Jews and Arabs—against fascism and Kahanism.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32855
