There is outrage in Israel over a disgraceful Arab-Israeli lawmaker who has officially notified Netanyahu that he will be on the flotilla that aims to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza:
MEE – Basel Ghattas, an MP with the Joint Arab List, sparked controversy after he announced he would join other parliamentarians and public figures from around the world in the latest attempt to reach Gaza by ship later this month.
In a letter directed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ghattas called on Israel to allow the flotilla to reach its destination and warned against any takeover.
“I request that you command the Israeli security forces to stay away and allow the flotilla to arrive at its destination.”
“Any form of takeover to prevent this will only involve Israel in yet another difficult international scandal that you and your government will be responsible for.”
Here’s the letter:
Israeli lawmakers are very angry about this, suggesting he should be removed from parliament for supporting Hamas:
“It is the gravest thing possible that an Israeli MP would join the flotilla whose aim is to help the Hamas terror organisation,” said Immigration Minister Zeev Elkin from the ruling rightwing Likud party.
“Israeli law does not allow anyone to serve in parliament who supports a terror organisation,” he railed in an interview with army radio.
Deputy Foreign Minster Tzipi Hotovely said that joining the attempt to run the blockade was evidence Ghattas was working against Israel.
“The participation of an Arab Israeli MP alongside those who want to fight against Israel is a demonstration of activity in the service of the enemy under the sponsorship of parliamentary immunity,” she said in a statement late Sunday.
She said the foreign ministry had been working to prevent the flotilla from reaching Israel’s territorial waters.
I contacted Walid Shoebat about this and he told me something interesting, that the name Ghattas literally means ‘sinker’, which will be incredibly ironic if he finds his fate at the bottom of the Mediterranean because of this attack on Israel.