Israel Police said they have enough evidence to launch an investigation for incitement against Arab-Israeli lawmaker Hanin Zoabi.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein reportedly is expected to accept the recommendation confirmed Monday by the police about opening a probe of the Balad party lawmaker, who said last week that the kidnappers of three Israeli teens are not terrorists. Zoabi told Army Radio the following day that “the State of Israel is the one that led us to this event.”

Over the weekend, Zoabi labeled the Israeli operation to find the teens as terror and questioned whether whey were actually abducted.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“The context of this operation is the Israeli occupation and Israeli terror,” she said, adding that “the only way to end this kidnapping is to release Palestinian prisoners.”

Zoabi also criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for publicly condemning the kidnapping.

“Abbas’ goal is to strengthen his hold on power,” she said. “His military coordination with Israel is a betrayal of the Palestinian people.”

Several official criminal complaints against Zoabi were filed last week with police, according to reports.

Israeli lawmakers from across the political spectrum have condemned Zoabi’s statements, with many calling for an investigation.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount