The Knesset's National Security Committee, headed by MK Zvika Fogel, convened on Monday April 1st to discuss the connections between Hamas and the Ra'am party. The hearing was initiated by MK Limor Son Har Melech.
Here at HaKol HaYehudi, we have reported many times on the true face of the Ra'am party. In several recent reports, we revealed the close ties between Hamas and Ra’am party members and nonprofit affiliates.
We also previously reported on the charter of the Islamic Movement, which defines Israel as a "colonialist project of theft and injustice." The document states that the movement opposes any cooperation or recognition of the ‘Zionist State.’ It demands the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the right of return for all refugees and displaced persons. Any interaction between Arab citizens of Israel and the state must be based on "our historical and natural right to Palestine."
Other important investigations on Ra’am and its related entities have been published by the Choosing Life Forum, Kalman Libeskind in Maariv, Avishai Grinzaig on Channel 11 and by Erel Segal on Channel 14.
MK Limor Son Har Melech said during the hearing: “Every researcher of the Islamic Movement in Israel is aware that the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement was declared illegal, but the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement is still somehow perfectly legal in the State of Israel.”
"To highlight how important its nonprofit affiliates are to the Ra'am party, I would like to quote MK Mansour Abbas, who in several interviews to Arabic media said: 'The project of the United Arab List in the Knesset is not the most important part of the Islamic Movement but the third or fourth, after the Al Aqsa Charity and the Support 48 Charity.’”
"That's why we demanded today's hearing, to understand how the relationship between Ra'am, its affiliates, and Hamas has been exposed time and again, yet the relationship has continued. Meanwhile Ra'am has legally been able to run in elections for the Knesset."
Later, MK Son Har Melech presented various investigations and media reports on the Ra'am party’s extensive ties to declared terrorist entities.
Hertzl Hajaj, a leader of the Choosing Life Forum, presented the forum's investigations that were reported on by journalists Ayala Hasson, Yafa Erlich, Kalman Libeskind, and Avishai Grinzaig. He criticized the authorities for not taking action and blamed the refusal to take action on the fact that many are hoping for Ra’am to be part of a future coalition. "Unfortunately, there are elements in the political and defense sectors that do not want to investigate Ra'am's affiliates in order to leave open the option for a future government with Ra'am."
Yehuda Perl presented research carried out by HaKol HaYehudi and said: "The materials we uncovered and compiled into a special report on the issue are entirely open sourced. This leaves just two possibilities: either the Shin Bet and the police somehow are unable to find this information, which would be a serious failure on their part. Or they have seen the materials, but have refrained from prosecuting Ra'am leaders and its affiliated charity, Support 48. I leave it to you to decide which option is more concerning.”
“Either way, the materials are public and available to anyone who wants to see them. Several police complaints have been filed for offenses of financing terror and having contact with a foreign agent. Why haven’t the authorities taken action?!”
During the hearing, a representative of the Shin Bet said that the agency would not provide an opinion on the matter. The State Prosecutor's Office refused to even send a representative.
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MK Ariel Kallner said, "The situation where a nonprofit registered in Israel, which is affiliated with a political party that has representatives in the Israeli Knesset and that was part of a coalition government, is working to benefit the Nazis of our generation, is intolerable and unforgivable. I hope and expect that today's hearing will prompt the authorities to take action on this matter of national security."
MK Yitzhak Kreuzer said during the hearing: “The political parties that claim to represent the Arab public in the State of Israel, Ra'am, Balad, Hadash, Ta'al, do not support terror indirectly, rather they support it openly and directly. Azmi Bishara spied for Hezbollah, Said Nafaa went to Syria and was convicted of contact with a foreign agent, Basel Ghattas smuggled cell phones to prisons, Hanin Zoabi took part in the Mavi Marmara, and current MK Ahmed Tibi was an adviser to Yasser Arafat, publicly supports Hamas, and refuses to call it a "terrorist organization." Mansour Abbas and his party also now are seen to have direct links with terrorist organizations. Not only do the Arab party members work in the Knesset to support the terrorists indirectly, but they also have nonprofit affiliates where they support the terrorists directly. Still, the State of Israel hasn’t done anything to stop this.”
