Today, Tuesday, December 27, 2022, a deputy spoke in Arabic inside the Israeli Knesset headquarters, angering a number of members of the Israeli government's legislative branch.
הח"כיות טלי גוטליב ו-@limor_sonhrmelh מהימין כעסו כששמעו את ח"כ אימאן ח'טב יאסין מדברת בשפה הערבית במליאנת הכנסת: "ל את ריתי בתקאם שמ" .
What is the meaning of the word "Yor's Lawn"?
צפו@TallyGotliv@KarivGilad@Likud_Party pic.twitter.com/h1nkibwX11
- ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) December 27, 2022
Right-wing members objected to Knesset member Iman Khatib Yassin of the United Arab List speaking in Arabic.
The representative was speaking Arabic, thanking the "Arabs 48" and the Palestinian students in Jordan, for their support of the student, Dina Khalil, and for helping her transfer to the hospital.
The young woman, who hails from the village of Jdeideh al-Makar in Acre, Western Galilee, fell from the fourth floor in Amman a few days ago, and was subsequently transferred to Al-Israa Hospital for treatment.
Previous talks in Arabic inside the Knesset
This was not the first time that some deputies spoke in Arabic in the Israeli Knesset.
In January 2022, a video clip documented a verbal altercation between two Israeli MPs of Palestinian origin, who were discussing in Arabic about legislative laws in the Knesset.
Two Palestinian deputies in the Israeli Knesset are discussing in Arabic about legislative laws in #Israel.
pic.twitter.com/SBfLkIJm50
- American events🇺🇸 (@US_World1) January 5, 2022
In August 2020, the Knesset member of the "Israel Our Home" party, Eli Avidar, used the Arabic language to express the celebration and joy of Israelis of different political orientations with the agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE.
And in October 2021, a member of the Knesset for the “Likud” party, Yariv Levin, attacked deputies from the United Arab List (Islamic Movement) for voting against a law proposal he submitted to compel the teaching of the Arabic language in schools.
Levin, the former speaker of the Knesset and one of the prominent figures in the "Likud", spoke in Arabic from the Knesset rostrum, saying, "There is no Islamic movement in the world that votes against the Arabic language, against the language of the Holy Qur'an. The chair is more important than the Arabic language. Are you an Islamic movement?! The chair?" More important than language! Are you an Islamic movement or a Kursi movement?!
Representative Walid Taha responded to Levin's attack, saying, "You were 12 years in power, why didn't you vote on this law?"
It is worth noting that Arabic is considered official in Israel, as is Hebrew, and appears on road signs, public institutions, and government offices.