The Knesset Ethics Committee issued a series of decisions on Monday regarding complaints against over a dozen Members of Knesset and ministers.
The committee, which is comprised of two MKs from the coalition and two from the opposition, fields complaints about MKs both from other MKs and from the public, and has the power to issue a series of sanctions, from a simple reprimand to barring MKs from speaking in the plenum and even deducting their salary for a short period.
In all cases, MKs are still given the right to vote.
The most severe sanction was issued against Hadash-Ta’al chairman MK Ayman Odeh, who is already facing impeachment in a separate procedure. In March 2024, Odeh said in the Knesset plenum regarding the IDF’s operations in Gaza that “what the army is doing there is a crime, it’s killing, it’s murder, it’s a massacre — the starvation of children.”
In April 2024 Odeh said, also in the plenum, "The one who murdered [Palestinian-American journalist] Shireen Abu Akleh in the Jenin refugee camp [in 2022] now wants to silence her voice in Gaza. The question is: why now? What does this cursed occupation want to conceal? What does it not want the world to know? The entry into Rafah? More crimes, more massacres, more killing? That’s what they want to hide.”
A third complaint against Odeh was for statements to the media ahead of a party meeting in June 2024, "This is the government that committed crimes against humanity in Gaza, the one that killed 15,000 Gazan children, and on this matter, every person—by virtue of being human—must do everything to bring down this government, yesterday rather than today. This has been our position, this is our position, and this will be our position in the vote."
The committee ruled, “The use of the term ‘murderers’ in reference to IDF soldiers, who act on behalf of the state, does not merit the broad protection that the committee extends to the political free speech of members of the Knesset.”
The committee added, “The severe pattern of remarks and repeated use by MK Odeh of terms like ‘massacre’ and ‘murder’ in reference to the actions of IDF soldiers constitutes defamation of the soldiers and harms the dignity of the Knesset and public trust in it.”
The committee decided that Odeh would be barred from participating in Knesset plenum and committee meetings for two weeks, for which he will also not receive a salary.
Second MK Aida Touma-Sliman also sanctioned
The committee also sanctioned MK Aida Touma-Sliman, also of Hadash-Ta’al, for saying in April 2024 that the IDF was “oppressing and occupying another people, and committing war crimes, including as we speak.”
Another complaint was filed against Sliman for saying at a conference in September 2024, "When you're under occupation you have the right to defend yourself from occupation, and only those who are under occupation decide how to do it. I might observe it and say what I think about those practices but I'm not the one to decide. I'm against continued occupation – if this is supporting terror, I don't know what you mean by terror".
In its decision the committee wrote, “Seemingly, there may be an indirect implication of justification for terrorism and an accusation that the IDF deliberately kills innocent civilians. This is not the first time that MK Touma-Sliman has accused IDF soldiers — either explicitly or implicitly — of committing war crimes.”
Touma-Sliman argued in her defense that the complaints constitute a “blatant interference in political activity and serve as a ‘tool of incitement’ by elements both within the Knesset and outside it against my political work.”
The committee decided that Touma-Sliman would be barred from speaking at committee and plenum meetings for three days, saying that a repeated infraction could lead it to consider a salary deduction.
A series of international institutions, foreign officials, and former Israeli military and political leaders have deemed the IDF’s actions in Gaza as war crimes or bordering on war crimes, in part because of the large number of civilian casualties, insufficient health and sanitation aid for civilians, and more.
Israeli leaders countered that the accusations were biased and ignored the reality of a terror organization using civilians for cover, and that Israel has operated within defined legal boundaries and any infractions have been investigated.
Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky third hit with sanctions
A third MK to receive sanctions was Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, who on multiple occasions used derogatory terms such as “garbage,” “terror supporter,” despicable terrorist”, “Jew-hater” and “malignant tumor” against MKs from the Arab-Israeli parties. In addition, Milwidsky, who is one of a number of Deputy Speakers, was sanctioned for removing MK Touma-Sliman from a plenum meeting he was chairing, against the opinion of the plenum’s legal advisor.
The committee decided to suspend Milwidsky from participating in six plenum sessions.
The committee also issued a series of sanctions and rebukes for various comments and actions, including Women's Advancement Minister, Social Equality Minister May Golan, who in a speech in the plenum said that Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben-Ari "mainly serves as a nuisance and a yes-woman, like gum stuck to your shoe that you just can't get rid of", and called Ben-Ari "Ms. Deranged," and "Ms. Liar”; Likud MK Nissim Vaturi, who accused protestors against the government of being a “branch of Hamas”; Democrats MK Naama Lazimi for lifting a sign in the plenum that read “You are the head, you are guilty” in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and for wearing a shirt in the plenum that read “Rabin was Right”; Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak, for accusing the far-right “Otzma Yehudit” party of being “Neo-Nazi”; and more.