Ex-MK Hanin Zoabi arrested over alleged terror incitement, justifying Oct 7 massacre

Zoabi referred to Hamas’ assault as resistance to what she termed “genocide” and urged Europeans to reassess their support for Israel because of the Holocaust.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli police detained former Knesset member Hanin Zoabi at her Nazareth residence on Sunday on suspicion of inciting terrorism and affiliating with a terror group.

The case centers on remarks she delivered last year that appeared to legitimize Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault.

Law enforcement officials confirmed the arrest had the required authorizations, saying investigators had collected evidence that she “publicly identified with a terror organization and incited to terror.”

Police emphasized their determination to pursue those who glorify or justify attacks, whether on social media or in public forums, especially during wartime.

Zoabi, 59, represented the nationalist Balad party in parliament for 10 years and was often at the center of controversy for her fiery statements.

She became a polarizing figure in 2010 when she boarded the Mavi Marmara in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Her role drew sharp criticism and led to suspensions from Knesset activities as well as repeated legal challenges to her eligibility for reelection.

The current allegations are tied to a speech Zoabi gave at the Palestina Kongress in Vienna last October.

In her address, she asserted that Palestinians “cannot differentiate between Hamas and the Palestinian people” and claimed the October 7 attackers “didn’t enter Israeli borders, they entered their own land.”

She referred to Hamas’s assault as resistance to what she termed “genocide” and urged Europeans to reassess their support for Israel because of the Holocaust.

Her detention prompted swift condemnation from Arab political circles.

Balad said the move amounted to “a message of intimidation” against Arab citizens.

The Hadash party accused authorities of using it as “a cover for political prosecutions,” while the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel described it as “political terrorism led by the settler government.”