Knesset member Basel Ghattas managed to infuriate the members of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women and Gender Equality during a discussion on the topic of “women in the diplomatic security discourse.”

As soon as he was given the floor Oct. 28, Ghattas surprised everyone present by pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and reading a powerful personal statement. It soon became clear that Ghattas was reading a speech by Knesset member Haneen Zoabi, a member of his faction and of the committee, who received a six-month suspension from the Knesset by the Ethics Committee for making “offensive statements.”

Zoabi’s text, which Ghattas read, included, among other things: “I believe that female politicians who incite against me are especially worthy of condemnation for the hypocrisy of their deeds. On the one hand, they are calling for women’s rights and the integration of women, while on the other hand, they have no qualms about attacking and excluding the only female Arab Knesset member, or in other words, the sole representative of Arab women, from the Israeli Knesset.”

The committee, headed by Aliza Lavie, did not like Ghattas' maneuver, claiming that he exploited an important discussion for the benefit of Zoabi’s campaign.