Haneen Zoabi, a radical Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, accused Israel of conducting “racist policies” against the Palestinians and suggested the Jewish state was committing crimes similar to those perpetrated by the Nazis.
Speaking at an event marking the anniversary of the 1938 Nazi pogrom 'Kristallnacht' in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, Zoabi claimed Israel had dozens of laws in place that put Palestinians in a similar position than German Jews during the 1930s. “The central lesson of the Crystal Night has not been learned,” said Zoabi during her 15-minute speech, which she delivered in English.
Accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” modeled on Nazism, she denounced half a dozen Israeli officials by name for what she referred to as recent efforts to “justify the use of violence toward Palestinians.
Leading up to Zoabi’s speech, several organizers delivered remarks comparing the Holocaust to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. At least half a dozen pro-Israel protesters were escorted from the gathering by security personnel and uniformed Dutch police, when at various points they yelled in protest of the speakers’ condemnations of Israel.
The event was organized by a fringe group of Dutch Jews, and Yiddish songs were performed by a klezmer trio leading up to Zoabi’s keynote speech. It took place at the former Jewish quarter of Amsterdam.
For its 2009 Kristallnacht commemoration, the same group hosted an imam who had accused Jews of using blood to make matzah in Damascus.
Serving in the Knesset since 2009, Haneen Zoabi is the first Arab woman to be elected to Israel's parliament on an Arab party's list. She is vigorously opposed to the two-state solution. Last year, she was suspended from the Knesset for six months after showing understanding for the motives of the men who kidnapped and murdered the three Israeli teenagers.
