Ahmed Tibi freedom of movement limited

Published May 28th, 2002 - 03:00 GMT

The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) House Committee decided Tuesday to limit the freedom of movement of Israeli Arab Knesset member ,Ahmed Tibi (Arab Movement for Renewal). The decision, passed by 12 votes to five, was adopted at the end of a stormy. The motion will come into effect once it is approved by the Knesset.

According to Haaretz, the decision means that Tibi will no longer enjoy the rights afforded to other Knesset members. In effect, he will be treated the same as any other Israeli citizen, and any Israeli military or police officer will be able to prevent him from traveling to any place that the security forces declare “closed military zones.”

Responding to the decision, Tibi said that "the motion, proposed by MK Michael Eitan (Likud), is a political witch hunt. I am carrying out my job as an elected official, in accordance with my party's platform. This is a cynical exploitation of the current situation, and a message to all Palestinians that is aimed at restricting the movements of all Arab Knesset members." (Albawaba.com)