Joint Arab List MKs are planning to stage a walkout during Vice President Mike Pence’s speech Monday, as they did back in 2004, when British prime minister David Cameron spoke at the Knesset.
The Arab MKs intend to take advantage of the live coverage of the speech worldwide and yell condemnations at the VP while filing out of the plenum.
Chairman of the Joint Arab List, MK Ayman Odeh, explained on Sunday that his faction would boycott Pence’s speech in the plenum “because of the positions of President Trump, who has already proven that his presidency will only distance Israel and Palestine from the possibility of reaching a just historical compromise,” but also because of Pence’s own plan “to advance a messianic and dangerous agenda that any person who supports peace must resist.”
Writing in Ha’aretz Monday morning, MK Ahmad Tibi condemned the Trump administration’s record on the peace process, calling it “anti-peace policies” and announcing that “as Mr. Pence will be visiting the Knesset, the Joint List, representing the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, has announced its boycott of his visit. So should anyone who believes in a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
In his cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the intention of MK Odeh and his colleagues to boycott Pence’s speech, saying, “I see this as a disgrace that MKs intend to boycott his important visit to the Knesset and even want to disturb him. We will all be there and honor Vice President Pence as he justly deserves.”