‘Hamas is Palestine’ – Ex-MK arrested for incitement to terror

The former lawmaker claimed Hamas’ October 7th massacre was an act of “resistance.”

By World Israel News Staff

A former member of the Knesset was arrested by police on SunHanin Zoabi, 59, who represented the anti-Zionist Arab Balad party from 2009 to 2019, was long known for using her platform to condemn Israel and vilify IDF soldiers.

After repeated legal challenges seeking to disqualify her from office, Zoabi retired from politics in 2021 following a conviction on forgery and fraud charges related to campaign financing.

Zoabi, who has retreated from public life in recent years, was detained at her home in Nazareth after an investigation into remarks she made months ago at a conference abroad.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, Zoabi spoke at an anti-Zionist conference in Austria, where she appeared to justify Hamas’ invasion of Israel.

“It wasn’t Hamas that resisted, it was the Palestinian people. And yes, you cannot separate Hamas from the Palestinian people. When they [invaded Israel] on October 7, they did not cross into Israeli territory — they entered their own land. This is their land,” Zoabi reportedly said.

Israeli police said that after a thorough investigation, her statements were deemed to constitute criminal incitement under Israeli law.

Authorities charged that Zoabi’s comments included “publicly identifying with a terror group and incitement to terror.”

In a statement, police stressed they would “take severe action against anyone who praises and identifies with terror groups and enemy states and encourages their acts in a time of war, online or anywhere else, for the sake of public security.”

Zoabi’s attorney, Hassen Jabarin, dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

He argued that her detention was “illegal” and alleged that her arrest was a publicity stunt, designed to generate favorable media coverage for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Jabarin did not provide any evidence to support those claims.

anti-Zionistarab partiesBaladHanin ZoabiIncitement to terrorKnesset