Haneen Zoabi (Arabic: حنين زعبي, Hebrew: חנין זועבי; born 23 May 1969), is a Palestinian-Israeli politician.
The request also claimed that Zoabi negated Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, which made her eligible for disqualification.
Following the elections, Likud MK Danny Danon initiated a bill dubbed the "Zoabi Law" in February 2019.
An amendment to the Basic Law dealing with legislation, it would make it harder for the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the Central Elections Committee.
[14] She considers the two-state solution unrealistic and describes as inherently racist the notion that Israel is a Jewish state.
Instead she advocates a single state shared by Jews and Palestinian Arabs with full rights and equality for both national groups.
[15] She has said, "The reality of Israel's actions shows us that it's unrealistic to have a real sovereign state in the West Bank and Gaza with Jerusalem as the capital.
"[15] Zoabi argues that rejection of the Jewish state concept is the only way to combat Avigdor Lieberman's demand that Israeli citizens take loyalty oaths.
Regardless of whether I disagree [with Hamas], the international community cannot mediate neutrally if it starts to label the organizations of the Palestinians as illegitimate.
"[26] Zoabi also claimed that Iran was a positive influence on Palestinian affairs and had played a more beneficial role in region than Jordan or Egypt because it stood more firmly "against occupation than a lot of the Arab countries".
[26] Balad's chairman at the time, Jamal Zahalka, said that Zoabi's comments represented an analysis rather than a party position, and did not constitute supporting a nuclear-armed Iran.
At a news conference upon her release, Zoabi called the raid criminal, saying she witnessed two wounded passengers bleed to death after the Israelis refused to provide requested medical aid.
"[30] In a speech at the Knesset a day after her release, Zoabi called the raid a "pirate military operation" and asked for an international investigation.
The chaos reached a peak when MK Anastasia Michaeli charged the podium in an attempt to prevent Zoabi from continuing.
Yishai accused Zoabi of engaging in a "premeditated act of treason", claiming she had assisted activists on board the Mavi Marmara and was "undoubtedly aware" of their preparations to attack IDF soldiers.
He and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoped that sparing Zoabi would protect Israel from further international condemnation over its Gaza blockade and its military's actions aboard the Mavi Marmara.
"[39] When the full Knesset met on 13 July 2010, it decided, in a 34–16 vote, to strip Zoabi of three parliamentary privileges as a penalty for her participation in the flotilla: the right to have a diplomatic passport, entitlement to financial assistance should she require legal help, and the right to visit countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.
"[45] Partly because of an Israeli embassy's tweets about Zoabi, in August 2012, the Foreign Ministry of Israel updated its social media guidelines for its worldwide diplomats, clarifying that for practical purposes there is no difference between a tweet or on-line social media post and an official briefing, as they will be interpreted as Israel's official position.
Labor opposition leader Isaac Herzog said they "were harmful to peace and the coexistence of Jews and Arabs in Israel as well as to the families who are hopefully awaiting news regarding their missing loved ones.
Echoing comments by other Israeli politicians, Knesset Interior Committee chairwoman Miri Regev said, "Hanin Zoabi is a traitor and should be deported to Gaza.
"[51] On 25 July Israeli attorney general Yehuda Weinstein ordered an investigation of Zoabi on charges of incitement and public disgrace.
[47] In February 2016, during the 2015–2016 wave of violence in Israeli-Palestinian conflict Zoabi and two other Arab Israeli MKs met with the families of Palestinian attackers.