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Drama in Knesset: MK ejected for calling pro-Palestinian deputy speaker ‘terrorist’

Knesset Deputy Speaker Ahmad Tibi, an outspoken anti-Zionist lawmaker, once served as political advisor to arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben-Gvir was ejected from the Knesset plenum during a meeting on Monday evening due to a spat over the way he addressed the Knesset’s deputy speaker.

Two Knesset guards dragged Ben-Gvir away from the podium, where he had engaged in a clash with Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi, who sat a few feet away.

Knesset Speaker Micky Levy was outside of the plenum, and Tibi was temporarily filling in as deputy speaker and conducting the proceedings.

When Ben-Gvir reached the podium, he did not address Tibi as “sir.”

Tibi was miffed, and demanded that Ben-Gvir call him “sir.”

Ben-Gvir refused, responding that Tibi was a “ terrorist, not a ‘sir.’ You should be in the Knesset in Syria, not here.”

The remark caused Tibi to issue Ben-Gvir a formal call to order, and he repeated his demand that he be addressed with the title “sir.”

Once a Knesset lawmaker has been called to order three times, he or she can be forcefully ejected from the plenum.

Ben-Gvir refused to acquiesce to Tibi’s demand, and the deputy speaker ordered the Knesset guard to physically drag him away from the podium.

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Tibi, an outspoken pro-Palestinian lawmaker, once served as political advisor to late Palestinian Authority president and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat, a fact which particularly irked Ben-Gvir.

Ben-Gvir called for an investigation into the incident the next day, saying that Tibi had overstepped his authority by demanding his removal.

“There is no clause in the Knesset rules that requires me to say ‘Sir’ to whoever is conducting the meeting, and certainly not if he is a terrorist who was Arafat’s adviser and should be in the Syrian parliament,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement.

On Twitter Tuesday afternoon, Ben-Gvir posted a video of Tibi speaking at a Palestinian conference.

“Tell the brat who praises ‘the martyrs’, that no one must call him sir,” he wrote.

“[Tibi] is a symbol of terrorism, and everything will be done to throw him and his fellow supporters of terrorism out of the Knesset.”