27 April 2007
Hard-line Israeli Jews have charged the nation's Arab minority with group disloyalty after police accused their most outspoken leader, Azmi Bishara, in aiding enemies during last summer's war in Lebanon. After a court eased a gag order, Israeli police have disclosed that Bishara is suspected of crimes against Israel's security, aiding the enemy during wartime, passing intelligence to the enemy, contacting foreign agents and receiving money in violation of anti-money laundering laws. Bishara, who left the country a month ago and resigned from the Knesset last weekend, said he was a victim of a political witch hunt. "The aim is to convene a court to turn Bishara into a petty criminal facing security violations," Bishara told the Arab satellite broadcaster ‘Al-Jazeera’. Israel, he said, was using him to cover up failures during its war against Hezbollah. Bishara also said he would not return to Israel in the near future. No charges have been filed so far, and key details remain classified. Some of the alleged offenses occurred during Israel's summer war against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld was quoted by as saying by the AP news agency.
Since joining parliament in 1996, Bishara has antagonized many Jewish Israelis by meeting with some of Israel's bitterest enemies, including the leaders of Syria and Hezbollah. A 50-year-old Christian from Nazareth, he frequently speaks out in favor of Palestinian rights. He advocates replacing Israel with a bi-national state that would include citizenship for the 3.4 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Some Israeli politicians have responded to the allegations against Bishara by applying them to Israeli Arabs as a community. Lawmaker Zevulun Orlev of the hard-line National Religious Party alleged that "Trojan horses acting as a fifth column" had penetrated the parliament, referring to Israeli Arab members. The ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu Party, headed by the Strategic Affairs minister Avigdor Lieberman, said Bishara "is not the problem, but only its picture window. Bishara and his friends crossed the line long ago, but the state buried its head in the sand," the ’Haaretz’ newspaper reported.
