Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and State Attorney Shai Nitzan decided Tuesday not to launch a sedition investigation against Arab List MK Hanin Zoabi for remarks she made in October comparing Israeli soldiers to Islamic State terrorists. During an interview with Channel 2 News, Zoabi, who is no stranger to controversy, said, "They [Islamic State] kill one person with a knife each time, while the IDF kills dozens of Palestinians at a time by pressing a button. "The soldier remains in the plane when he launches strikes and he doesn't see the victim.
He is no less a terrorist than one who beheads others with a knife. And those who take pictures with corpses, laughing with Palestinian corpses, I do not think they are any less terrorists than the ones who behead. They kill more than a knife kills." The remarks drew widespread criticism and prompted several civil advocacy groups to urge the Attorney General's Office to investigate Zoabi for alleged incitement and sedition. "The Attorney General's Office's policy regarding investigations over matters tangent to freedom of speech is conservative, and it is especially conservative with regards to statements which may constitute sedition," Deputy Attorney General for Special Assignments Amit Issman said in a statement. "Despite the great unease evoked by [Zoabi's] statements against IDF soldiers, we do not believe they warrant a criminal investigation," the statement said.
AG says no grounds for sedition probe against Israeli Arab MK
Arab List MK Hanin Zoabi will not face criminal investigation for comparing Israeli soldiers to Islamic State terrorists, attorney general rules • Policy regarding investigations over issues concerning free speech is conservative, official says.
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