Labor MK Ibtisam Mara'ana, whose nomination for the Knesset sparked a legal battle, was named one of the winners of the Israeli Academy for Film and Television's 2020 television awards on Sunday.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The ceremony, held Cinema City in Glilot, in central Israel, honored Mara'ana in the fact-based shows category for an episode of Excuse me for Asking, in Arabic.
The show affords viewers a candid glimpse into the lives of people from various sectors in society that deal with social stigmas. The show has a questions-and-answers format featuring questions sent in from viewers anonymously with the people hosted by the show answering them as openly as they can.
Mara'ana, an award-winning Arab Israeli filmmaker from Jaffa, found herself in the center of a public controversy ahead of the March 23 elections. Slated on the seventh spot on Labor's roster for parliament, it soon came to light that she had previously made highly controversial anti-Zionist statements.
She has also faced criticism for slamming the IDF, and over her public refusal to observe the two-minute siren on Memorial Day – for which she later apologized on social media.
Several right-wing groups, as well as the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, petitioned to the Central Election Committee to disqualify Mara'ana's candidacy, which it did. Labor took the case to the High Court of Justice, which overturned the committee's decision.
Labor won seven seats in last month's elections and last week, Mara'ana was sworn in as a lawmaker.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
