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‘An extraordinary leader’ – Ex-MK mourns Nasrallah

Former Israeli MK offers tribute to slain Hezbollah chief on Facebook, calling him a “champion for the oppressed.”

By World Israel News Staff

A former member of the Israeli parliament released a statement praising slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, calling the arch-terrorist “a hero for the oppressed.”

EX-MK Issam Makhoul, who served iFn the Knesset from 1999-2006 as part of the Arab-Jewish communist Hadash party, penned an ode to Nasrallah on Facebook after news of his killing.

Referring to him by the Islamic honorific “Sayyed,” Mahoul posted that Nasrallah was an “extraordinary leader” and “hero to the oppressed.”

Makhoul said Nasrallah had been a champion for those “struggling for national and social liberation.”

Nasrallah’s legacy will be superior to that of “his assassins, the petty politicians and military men obsessed with war and war crimes,” Makhoul added.

Since leaving politics, Makhoul has worked as an intermediary between communist groups in Israel and the Chinese Communist Party.

In 2011, Mahoul’s brother Ameer was convicted of spying on behalf of Hezbollah. He served nine years in prison and was released in 2019.

When Hebrew-language news outlet Walla asked asked Makhoul for comment on an article about the post, the former politician stood by his words.

The Facebook post “was an analysis of the event, the person, its impact, its importance, its nature and the meaning of the” assassination, Makhoul told Walla.

“I don’t think it’s possible to disagree on…Nasrallah’s credibility, which surpasses Netanyahu’s credibility in the eyes of the Israelis themselves.”

Lina Makhoul, a popular Arab-Israeli singer, also triggered backlash with her social media posts around Nasrallah’s assassination.

In recent years, Makhoul has leveraged her platform to promote pro-Hamas rhetoric, leading to her becoming increasingly isolated from the mainstream Israeli pop world.

When Nasrallah’s fate after the bombing was still unknown, Makhoul posted “May Allah protect him” on her Instagram account.

Despite being an Israeli citizen, Makhoul describes herself in her Instagram bio as being “100 percent Palestinian.”