A heated confrontation between Yesh Atid MK Kamel Marih and Likud MK Miki Zohar late Wednesday night – which broke out during a contentious hearing in which the Knesset passed an amendment giving the government the power to limit the size of protests and stop Israelis from traveling to get to them – resulted in calls to depose Zohar from his position as deputy Knesset speaker.
Devoting her speech to her young son, Marih said that as his mother she was "standing guard" because she fears "we will get used to the shutting of mouths, restrictions of liberties, days of lockdown, roadblocks, quarantine and corrupt leadership," which are "more dangerous than the coronavirus."
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She turned to Zohar and said, "They always said Israel must normalize relations and assimilate with the Middle East, and here we are, assimilating. Dictators, tyrants, dubious royal families, hedonism and gifts have become a part of our lives. There's no question that Netanyahu is assimilating with his surroundings."
Zohar called her speech "repulsive and disgusting," to which Marih retorted, "You think that is showing respect for your position. Are you not embarrassed."
Zohar then responded, "You said disgusting things and I wouldn't let my own son talk that way," to which she said, "That will be the day when I need someone like Miki Mahlouf Zohar to give me grades. My dear, you are confused."
In a letter to Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud), MK Orna Barbivai (Yesh Atid) called for Zohar to be removed from his role, noting that Zohar's conduct while presiding over the late-night hearing was "belligerent, offensive and incompatible with his duty to uphold the norms as deputy Knesset speaker."
"Sadly," continued Barbivai, "[Zohar] started pressing MKs to wrap up their statements before their allotted time was up, made judgmental remarks, the worst of which was directed at MK Kamel Marih. When we protested his conduct, he called us to order and removed three Yesh Atid MKs from the plenum, including myself. It's clear that MK Zohar's motives were unprofessional and stemmed only from inappropriate political considerations. MK Zohar is dishonoring the Knesset… and therefore he cannot continue in a representative role as deputy Knesset speaker."
Following the incident, Zohar told reporters it was "time members of Yesh Atid heard the truth, and the time has certainly come to stop being silent over all the evil and hate they spew against us. I chose to say what I – and I'm sure most of the public – am feeling."
The Knesset speaker, it should be noted, does not have the authority to dismiss a deputy. Only the Knesset House Committee can discuss a deputy's suspension or removal and the Knesset plenum must then vote to pass the measure.
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