Israel Matzav: 'Israeli Arab' MK complains that Israeli media not traitorous enough

'Israeli Arab' MK complains that Israeli media not traitorous enough

After he was thrown out of Channel 1's studios by host Dan Margalit on Thursday, 'Israeli Arab' MK Jamal Zahalka complained that Israel's media has 'surrendered to the State.' The complaint is rich with irony, because Israel is the only country in the region that has a media that is at all critical of the government. Zahalka, of course, would like to destroy the Jewish state and presumably leave us with another country like the other 22 Arab countries in which the media is not free to criticize the government.

Zahalka, who succeeded Azmi Bishara as chairman of the staunchly anti-Zionist party, accused the media of running an "incitement campaign" against him, and said Balad would continue to work to reveal "the war crimes of Israel, whose hands are dipped in children's blood."

"The Israeli media is enlisted and has surrendered [to the state]," he said.

On Thursday, Zahalka was removed from the set of the program after he and Margalit engaged in heated verbal sparring after Zahalka accused Defense Minister Ehud Barak of listening to classical music while children were being killed in Gaza.

After Margalit responded by calling Zahalka "cheeky," Zahalka backtracked a bit, saying that it was widely known that the defense minister enjoys classical music and had killed 1,400 children.

Margalit then told Zahalka, repeatedly, to "get out of here," which the Balad chairman unwillingly did, while responding that the veteran journalist was "a nothing, a servant of prime ministers, and lacking a conscience."

The verbal spat continued after Zahalka left the set, with the MK yelling that the studio in Tel Aviv's northern Ramat Aviv neighborhood was itself on occupied land [formerly known as Sheikh Munis. CiJ], and Margalit responding, on camera, that "that's just the point. You want to conquer here as well."

Perhaps Margalit could explain that to some of his naive colleagues who still believe that if Israel would only withdraw to the 1949 armistice lines, the conflict would be over.

Israel Matzav: 'Israeli Arab' MK complains that Israeli media not traitorous enough