One cannot argue with the fact that Balad MKs have the right to speak their mind. They have the right to criticize the government and the military both from the Knesset podium and outside the parliament's halls. Ridiculous as it may sound, they have the right to argue that the abduction of three Israeli teenagers in June was merely the excuse Israel was looking for to launch Operation Protective Edge. However, they must also remember that freedom of speech has some limits -- even in a democratic state. Balad MKs Hanin Zoabi, Basel Ghattas and Jamal Zahalka's trip to Qatar last week, in the midst of a military operation, crossed the line both figuratively and literally, not only because Qatar is the one sponsoring Hamas and therefore it is essentially enabling the rocket fire on Israel; not because they met with fugitive former MK and party chairman Azmi Bishara; and not because they blatantly ignored the Knesset's bylaws, which mandate the Ethics Committee's approval for any trip. The three's trip crossed the line because it appears that they have broken the law. Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset bars MK from directly or indirectly inciting violence or racism in their actions, and prohibits them from "expressing support for the armed struggle of an enemy state or terror organization against the State of Israel." Section 1.1 of the Knesset Members Immunity, Rights and Duties Law, which qualified the parliamentary immunity given to MKs, clearly states that "supporting the armed struggle of an enemy state or terror organization against the State of Israel, or against Jews or Arabs, in Israel and overseas" might constitute grounds for revoking immunity. The Balad MKs' conduct during their visit to Qatar -- especially their meetings with Bishara, who is suspected of espionage, and with several Hamas officials, including Khaled Mashaal -- and their expressed support for Hamas' indiscriminate fire on Israeli civilians, could very well be grounds for a police investigation of alleged support of terrorism. Nevertheless, the MKs who urged the Ethics Committee to take disciplinary action against Zoabi, Ghattas and Zahalka over their failure to obtain the necessary permits for their trip, were missing the point. The Ethics Committee's jurisdiction extends to ethics violations only, and the most it can do is bar the three from plenum sessions and committees' meetings -- as it did several weeks ago, when it barred Zoabi from the Knesset for six months over her remarks stating that Hamas was not a terrorist group. The MKs must therefore urge Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to take action, as only he has the legal power to order a police investigation against the three Balad MKs for alleged support of terrorist acts against Israel.
