Basel Ghattas
Basel Ghattas | |
---|---|
Faction represented in the Knesset | |
2013–2015 | Balad |
2015–2017 | Joint List |
Personal details | |
Born | Nazareth, Israel | 23 March 1956
Dr Basel Ghattas (
Biography
A
After finishing university he opened an engineering firm in Rameh. At the age of 22 he was elected Deputy Leader of the town council as a member of Rakah, which later became Maki. He was ejected from the party in 1990 after challenging its pro-Soviet stance.[1] He then helped found Brit Shivyon, a short-lived Jewish-Arab movement, before becoming a founder member of Balad in 1995.[1]
He later attended the Technion, where he gained a PhD in environmental engineering, and joined the Galilee Society, an NGO involved in health and environmental issues with the Arab community. In 2007 he established Malakom, the only business magazine targeted at the Israeli Arab community.[1]
Having initially chosen not to run for the Knesset after Balad was founded,[1] in 2012 Ghattas was placed third on the party's list for the 2013 Knesset elections,[2] and was elected to the Knesset as the party won three seats. Prior to the 2015 elections Balad joined the Joint List alliance; Ghattas was placed eleventh on the alliance's list,[3] and was re-elected as it won 13 seats.
On 20 December 2016, Ghattas was questioned by police after he was filmed smuggling cellphones and SIM cards to Palestinian security prisoners in
In November 2018, a parole board rejected a request by Ghattas to grant him parole after serving one-third of his sentence. The parole board ruled that he had failed to express genuine remorse for his actions and noted that he had failed to enroll in a rehabilitation program.[8] He was released on 27 May 2019.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Only the good news". Haaretz. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "בל"ד - אלתג'מוע אלווטני אלדמוקרטי". www.bechirot.gov.il. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "רשימת מועמדים". www.bechirot20.gov.il. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Ghattas Arrested After Waiving Immunity". Hamodia. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "Knesset committee votes to strip Arab MK of parliamentary immunity". Middle East Monitor. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ^ "Arab MK signs plea bargain, agrees to go to jail". The Times of Israel. 16 March 2017.
- ^ "Replacements Among Knesset Members". Knesset.
- ^ "Ex-MK imprisoned for smuggling cellphones to terrorists denied early release". The Times of Israel. 13 November 2018.
- ^ "Israel releases former MK Basel Ghattas, convicted for smuggling phones". The Jerusalem Post. 28 May 2019.
External links
- Basel Ghattas on the Knesset website