MK Khenin Calls Liberman Posting Danger for Israelis and Palestinians

/ May 31, 2016

MK Avigdor Liberman (Israel Beiteinu) was sworn in as defense minister in the Knesset on Monday evening, May 30, after a political crisis between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right Habayit Heyudi’s Naftali Bennett put the nomination in jeopardy. The Knesset vote was 55 in favor of Lieberman’s appointment and 43 opposed. MK Benny Begin (Likud) abstained. With his appointment as defense minister, Liberman resigned from the Knesset, allowing his party’s Yulia Melinkovski to fill his vacated parliamentary seat.

MK Dov Khenin (third from right) holding sign aloft: "Building an opposition; building hope," in Saturday night’s mass demonstration in Tel-Aviv

MK Dov Khenin (third from right) holding sign aloft: “Building an opposition; building hope,” in Saturday night’s mass demonstration in Tel-Aviv (Photo: Zu Haderech weekly)

Liberman’s swearing in ceremony was preceded by a lengthy discussion in the Knesset, when one-by-one opposition lawmakers took the podium to bash the nomination and criticize Netanyahu’s political conduct in recent weeks.  MK Dov Khenin (Hadash – Joint List) also slammed the appointment of Liberman as defense minister before the Knesset plenum. He said that Liberman is dangerous for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. “We finally have a minister who keeps his word, holds by his commitments… He will dismantle the Palestinian Authority, topple Hamas, and eliminate Haniyeh within 48 hours of his appointment. Netanyahu chose the most fitting person to be defense minister. Do you feel safe my fellow MKs?” he asked. “This is dangerous and concerning, particularly in light of the weakness of the Opposition,” he added.

Thousands rallied in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night, May 28, to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointment of the racist Liberman as Israel’s new defense minister in last week’s coalition shakeup. Among the participants in Saturday night’s mass demonstration in Tel-Aviv: MK Khenin, MK Youssef Jabareen (Joint List-Hadash), MK Michal Rozin (Meretz), Meretz leader MK Zehava Galon, Joint List chairman MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash), MK Abdallah Abu-Ma’arouf (Hadash – Joint List), MK Ilan Gil’on (Meretz), MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz), former Hadash MKs Tamar Gozansky and Issam Makhoul and the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Israel, Adel Amer.

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