Clear and present danger

The debate on the legitimacy of some of Israel's Arab Knesset members usually boils down to the issue of freedom of speech. "A democratic state can and should allow harsh and even outrageous criticism," say various champions of democracy, usually from the left side of the political spectrum. The Right, on the other hand, tends to be less forgiving, arguing that "we must not allow criticism that constitutes incitement against State itself and harms it."

However, in light of the latest declarations made by Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi, it appears that both sides of the debate are getting it wrong. The core of the issue has long ago deviated from the debate on the very right of Knesset members to utter foolish words; by now it pertains to the State of Israel's national security.

Ms. Zoabi crossed the red line more than a year ago, when she joined the "flotilla of peace" to Gaza, where activists displayed their pacifist tendencies by beating IDF soldiers with iron rods. The honorable MK of course claimed that she was unaware of the presence of any weapons onboard, despite being photographed near armed peace lovers, yet her very presence on the Mavi Marmara constituted active solidarity with our worst enemies.

Yet now it turns out that Zoabi does not make do with souvenir photos near Turkish terrorists, but rather, holds a deep desire for the real thing – dirty dancing with Hamas. As opposed to her past denials, this time Zoabi admitted that she indeed met Hamas members, yet her statements on the issue constitute a grave warning sign, and especially the following quote: "The entire world recognizes Hamas now and I think it's time Israel did so as well. We don't consider Hamas to be a terror organization."

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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4178329,00.html