Israel - July 2025

On 19 July, Member of the Knesset (MK) Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and leader of the Hadash-Ta’al party, was attacked by a far-right mob while travelling to a protest against Israel’s war on Gaza. The assailants vandalized his car, smashing the windshield, throwing objects, and shouting racist slurs, including ‘death to Arabs’. This attack came just days after a failed Knesset motion to expel Odeh from parliament, due to his open criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. It also occurred amid a broader reported increase in violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel. Although police arrested three suspects in connection to the attack, all were later released. Following the latest 2022 parliamentary elections, only 10 of the Knesset’s 120 seats are held by representatives of Arab origin.

Sources: The Times of Israel (1), The Times of Israel (2), The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, The National, The Times of Israel (3)