Knesset Bid to Oust Arab Israeli Lawmaker Ayman Odeh Falls Short of Supermajority
The motion to unseat the Arab lawmaker failed to garner the necessary supermajority, after 73 lawmakers voted to oust Ayman Odeh
A motion to oust Arab Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh from the Knesset failed to garner the necessary supermajority of 90 votes on Monday.
A total of 73 MKs voted in favor of ousting Odeh, including five members of Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid – but not the party leader himself. 15 lawmakers voted "no," while 32 weren't present for the vote.
The vote was triggered by a Likud lawmaker after Odeh published a social media post in January, saying that he "rejoices" over the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The result of the vote aligned with opposition expectations, after officials on Sunday estimated that the expulsion bid would not receive the support of 90 Knesset members, as required by law. Prior to the vote, one ultra-Orthodox official told Haaretz that members of his United Torah Judaism party would not back the unseating of the head of the Hadash-Ta'al party.
Attorney Hassan Jabareen, director of the Adalah Legal Center and legal counsel for MK Ayman Odeh, responded to the Knesset's failure to secure a majority, saying, "The Knesset may not have reached the required majority to remove MK Ayman Odeh, but the message is no less chilling."
"The overwhelming support for this initiative – from both the coalition and the opposition – reveals the state's intent to crush Palestinian political representation," he added. "This was not a legitimate legal process, but rather a racist, fascist incitement campaign aimed at punishing Odeh for his principled stance against occupation, oppression and Israeli violence."
"Israeli law was trampled, and even the most basic legal standards were disregarded," the lawyer said. "Even without an expulsion, this sets a dangerous precedent. This process signals what lies ahead in the upcoming elections: a full-scale assault on the Arab public's political participation."
The Netanyahu coalition has recently had trouble passing any legislation because the ultra-Orthodox parties have been boycotting all votes to protest the lack of progress on legislation to exempt them from the draft.
The coalition crisis escalated even further on Monday as the ultra-Orthodox Degel Hatorah faction announced its resignation from the coalition.
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However, intergovernmental machinations were not the only roadblock to the removal of Odeh, despite Opposition Leader Yair Lapid's support for the move. As expected, parties representing Arab citizens, as well as the Zionist left-wing The Democrats, voted against the ousting.
But so did several lawmakers from Yesh Atid and Benny Gantz's Blue and White, after their parties allowed their MKs to vote according to their conscience. No Blue and White lawmaker voted in favor of the move.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid at a party meeting on Monday.Credit: Naama Grynbaum
Two weeks ago, the Knesset House Committee voted to forward the ouster motion to the full Knesset. Fourteen MKs voted in favor of ousting Odeh, including three from the opposition. Only two MKs voted against, both from Arab parties.
The motion to oust Odeh was submitted by MK Avichay Buaron (Likud), based on a post the Arab leader published on X in January, in which he wrote that he "rejoices over the release of the hostages and the prisoners. Now, we have to free both peoples from the burden of the occupation. We were all born free."
Buaron said he also wanted Odeh ousted for saying that "Gaza has won, and Gaza will win" during an antiwar demonstration in Haifa in May. But Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afek overruled that since that statement hadn't been included in the original motion signed by 70 MKs.
Earlier on Monday, Buaron responded to the United Torah Judaism's decision to refrain from supporting the government's position in the vote, warning against linking the move to the ultra-Orthodox draft bill.
MK Avichay Buaron (Likud) in February.Credit: Sraya Diamant
"It's wrong to tie the national need to remove a terror supporter from the Knesset with the need to pass the draft law," Buaron wrote on X. He also addressed the Haredi parties directly, saying, "My Haredi brothers, after my Likud colleagues and I stood by your side on the draft issue, I say this with regret: if you don't support us in the vote to expel Odeh, don't be surprised if we're not with you on the draft vote ... It's not too late to fix this."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also weighed in, asking: "United Torah Judaism – or the Islamic Movement?"
Over the past week, several open letters opposing the ouster have been published, including one by 120 former MKs, among them, former President Reuven Rivlin, former prime ministers Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak and former ministers Dan Meridor, Meir Sheetrit and Tzipi Livni.
Another open letter was signed by 1,300 literary figures and intellectuals, including author David Grossman and editor and translator Helit Yeshurun. A third, organized by a group called Forum 555, was signed by 1,700 former IAF pilots.