(Haneen attacked and prevented from speaking in the Knesset)
New Statesman
"“I was not elected to keep silent or to sit at the table and clap” - Haneen Zoabi, Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset.
What is it like being a Palestinian in Israel?
Israel did everything it could to make us forget our history: controlling education and the media, putting us in a ghetto, preventing us from having normal relations with the Arab world and visiting our families in Syria and Lebanon.
Why did you join the Gaza aid flotilla?
The natural question should be: "Why not?".....
Do you have faith in the Israeli investigation into the flotilla raid?
No, none at all....
You've had death threats. Are you afraid?
Personally I am not afraid, but politically I am worried....
Are Arab members of parliament treated differently?
Of course. The state treats all Jews and Palestinians differently. Israel doesn't recognise us as the owners of this homeland. The theory is that we have equal civil rights, but the practice is very far from this....
Will you be able to carry on working?
We didn't expect an easy struggle. I chose to be involved in politics because I was born in a racist context. I will continue using all the democratic tools that are available. I ask Israel not to push us into undesirable activities....."
"“I was not elected to keep silent or to sit at the table and clap” - Haneen Zoabi, Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset.
What is it like being a Palestinian in Israel?
Israel did everything it could to make us forget our history: controlling education and the media, putting us in a ghetto, preventing us from having normal relations with the Arab world and visiting our families in Syria and Lebanon.
Why did you join the Gaza aid flotilla?
The natural question should be: "Why not?".....
Do you have faith in the Israeli investigation into the flotilla raid?
No, none at all....
You've had death threats. Are you afraid?
Personally I am not afraid, but politically I am worried....
Are Arab members of parliament treated differently?
Of course. The state treats all Jews and Palestinians differently. Israel doesn't recognise us as the owners of this homeland. The theory is that we have equal civil rights, but the practice is very far from this....
Will you be able to carry on working?
We didn't expect an easy struggle. I chose to be involved in politics because I was born in a racist context. I will continue using all the democratic tools that are available. I ask Israel not to push us into undesirable activities....."
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