Joint Arab List Chairman Ayman Odeh arrived at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa Friday in an attempt to visit Daoud Zubeidi, the brother of former Al-Aqsa Brigades Commander Zakaria Zubeidi, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with Israeli security forces in Jenin.
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Although Odeh arrived at the hospital after visiting hours, hospital staff informed him Zubeidi was in the operating room at the time.
Odeh left the hospital after soldiers guarding the terrorist later informed him Zubeidi could not receive visitors as he was under military arrest.
In a statement, the Rambam Health Care Campus said: Last night, MK Ayman Odeh arrived at the Rambam hospital to visit Daoud Zubeidi, who was being operated on and was therefore unable to meet gim. MK Odeh was updated and left the hospital.
"Zubeidi is now in detention and is under IDF custody, which is why the issue should be coordinated with the relevant officials."
Odeh had no comment when asked to comment.
Zubeidi was one of 11 terrorists to sustain injuries in Friday's clashes that resulted in the killing of counterterrorism officer Noam Raz.
Zubeidi was initially hospitalized in Jenin for his injuries and was later transferred to the Haifa hospital at the request of officials at the Jenin hospital who said he needed to receive treatment in Israel or he would die.
Meanwhile, Joint Arab List Ofer Cassif was caught on camera Friday beating police officers in the southern Hebron Hills. In a video shared on social media, Cassif, who asked to take advantage of his parliamentary immunity to attend a demonstration there, attacked security forces when they prevented him from joining the protest. The incident occurred one day after Joint Arab List MK Ahmad Tibi was seen preventing police from carrying out an arrest.
In a statement, Cassif said, "Today we came to support the native residents of Masafer Yatta who face the demolition of their homes and their expulsion from their lands in light of High Court [of Justice] ruling the denies international law.
"The police repeatedly violated my immunity during the quiet march and prevented my freedom of movement. One officer went so far as to tell one of his friends, 'If he [Cassif] continues, I won't only arrest him, I'll shoot him.' That same officer refused to provide his name and even accused me of threatening to run him over.
"The police are once again lying to cover their violence, failures, and crimes," he alleged.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett condemned Cassif's and Tibi's "grave behavior," which he said encouraged violence. He accused the lawmakers of "cowardly hiding behind their immunity, interfering with police officers' work and shamelessly attacking them. Immunity is to be used to serve, not harm the state."
A senior police official told Israel Hayom, "We view with severity the incident in which MK Cassif was seen hitting an Israel Police officer. This is the miserable conduct of a lawmaker serving in the Israeli Knesset toward our officers who are doing their job faithfully. The documentation proves the lawmaker's attack on the officer."
According to the senior official, police are collecting evidence pertaining to the two incidents and Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai is expected to request a criminal investigation into the assaults.
The Israel Police's Investigations and Intelligence Division is working to consolidate an opinion to be presented to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Dan Eldad on the opening of such an investigation.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said, "MK Cassif crossed the line and acted disgracefully when he struck the officer in the head. It is intolerable that lawmakers take advantage of their immunity time and time for political gain at the expense of male and female officers and use physical violence against them. If they have a claim, let them talk to me. I intend to contact Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy and the attorney general on the issue. I will not allow lawmakers or anyone else to attack officers."
On Twitter, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said, "Female and male police officers, Border Police fighters, and all the forces on the ground including Friday afternoon are there to protect us all: I know how hard you are working at this time and how you divide terrorists and Israel's citizens with your bodies. Do your sacred work and ignore loathsome people like Ofer Cassif. The people are with you."
Hebron Hills Regional Council head Yochai Damri said: "At a time when the northern Judea and Samaria an officer was killed by terrorist fire, in the south of Judea and Samaria, a lawmaker beats another officer and tries to run them over. For shame! Cassif confused the enemy and a lover and a brother and a terrorist."
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