Watan-On Monday evening, the Israeli Knesset failed to secure the required majority to expel Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh from parliament, following a social media post in which he expressed support for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas and voiced solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
According to the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom, 73 Knesset members voted in favor of expelling Odeh, while 15 voted against. To expel Odeh—leader of the “Arab Front for Change” list—a supermajority of 90 out of 120 members was required, which was not achieved.
Israeli Army Radio reported that members of the opposition parties “Yesh Atid” (23 seats) and “Blue and White” (8 seats), along with “United Torah Judaism” (7 seats), a coalition partner, did not attend the voting session.
Knesset Fails to Expel Ayman Odeh
Reacting to the failed attempt, Odeh wrote on X (formerly Twitter):“I’m staying. The despicable and fascist attempt against me has failed.”
He continued:“This time, fascism didn’t pass, and we won’t let it pass. We will stand firm and continue the struggle for democracy, equality, and peace. Both peoples must be liberated from the yoke of occupation—we were all born free.”
In contrast, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu wrote on X:“Even if we didn’t manage to remove the suit-wearing terrorist today, we are still advancing toward victory.”
He added:“Terror supporters like Odeh will not succeed. The problem is that we are a smart and wise people, but some among us are scattered and clueless,” referring to the opponents of the expulsion vote.
The Knesset House Committee had previously voted on June 30 to expel Odeh by a margin of 14 to 2, setting the stage for the general assembly vote.
The campaign was launched following a complaint filed by Likud MK Avichay Barvay, based on a January 2025 social media post by Odeh, in which he welcomed the release of hostages and prisoners in Gaza: “I’m happy for the release of the kidnapped and prisoners. From here, both peoples must be freed from the violence of occupation—we were all born free,” he wrote.
The campaign intensified last month after Odeh declared during a protest in Haifa: “Gaza has won, Gaza will win.”
On Monday, Haaretz reported that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party had announced its support for Odeh’s expulsion. However, religious parties are currently abstaining from legislative votes due to a dispute with the government over the draft law for ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Unnamed Israeli sources told Haaretz that “the proposal would not achieve the 90 votes required even if the Haredi parties lifted their boycott.”
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