Tempers flared in the Knesset on Tuesday as the House Committee convened a charged hearing on whether to impeach Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh, following his controversial remarks equating Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The session grew heated within minutes, with Likud Knesset member Ofir Katz launching a scathing attack on Odeh, accusing him of undermining the country during wartime, according to Israel National News.
“While soldiers are fighting on seven fronts, the eighth front needs to be cleared, and Ayman Odeh is our eighth front,” Katz said in his opening statement.
Katz further claimed that Odeh “continuously works to discredit and weaken Israel while strengthening its enemies,” alleging that since entering politics, Odeh has “done nothing for the Arabs of Israel” and instead sides with Gaza against the state.
“If he had behaved like this in Syria, they would have hanged him in the city square,” said Katz.
Israel’s democratic character enables such dissent, he said, but added, “We will not allow this to continue—not in the name of free speech, and not in the name of tolerance.”
The committee hearing was called following a request by MK Avichay Buaron (Likud), in line with Chapter 4 of the Knesset Law, which demands the signatures of 70 Knesset members, including at least 10 from the opposition.
The request was submitted after Odeh made a public statement that appeared to draw a parallel between the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and Palestinian criminals imprisoned in Israel.
The comment, which implied both Israelis and Palestinians suffered under a “yoke of oppression,” sparked outrage among coalition members, who accused him of “legitimizing terrorism” and called for his ouster under a rarely used impeachment mechanism.
The proceedings quickly devolved into shouting, with Katz yelling across the chamber and branding Odeh an “arch-terrorist” after the Hadash-Ta’al leader delivered remarks in Arabic. The uproar led to a brief suspension of the session.
Odeh, speaking to reporters before the hearing, rejected the accusations and clarified that his statement was not meant to equate the two groups but to express empathy for families on both sides longing for their loved ones’ return.
“What I said reflects the desire of families on both sides to see their loved ones return home alive,” he said.
The Arab lawmaker also posted on X on Monday, labeling the Knesset procedure a “blatant, fascist and anti-democratic move,” adding that “it only proves how deeply they fear truth and justice.”
While impeachment proceedings against lawmakers are extremely rare in Israel and have a high legal and parliamentary threshold, the episode highlights the deepening political and societal divisions intensified by the ongoing war with Hamas and broader regional conflict.
The House Committee is expected to continue its deliberations in the coming days.