Ex-MK Hanin Zoabi arrested over Vienna speech defending Hamas
Former Israeli lawmaker Hanin Zoabi was arrested on Monday morning on suspicion of incitement to terror, following remarks she made during a conference in Vienna earlier this month.
According to The Times of Israel, investigators linked her detention to a speech delivered at the Palästina Kongress in early October 2024, where she appeared to defend Hamas and its role in the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
A video circulating online shows Zoabi telling her audience: “It is not Hamas who is resisting, it isn’t the Palestinian people, you cannot differentiate between Hamas and the Palestinian people. Don’t tell me about October 7.”
The attack, carried out by Hamas and allied groups, killed more Jews in a single day than at any time since the Holocaust, making her comments especially controversial inside Israel.
READ ALSO: Shock in Pentagon as US pilots jailed for refusing to fly warplanes to Israel
Zoabi went further in her address, saying: “On October 7, they didn’t enter Israeli borders, they entered their own land,” a remark that drew applause from the crowd.
She also criticised European governments, accusing them of backing Israel out of lingering guilt over the Holocaust, and urged greater inclusion of anti-Zionist Jews in pro-Palestinian movements.
Zoabi, who served in the Knesset under the Arab-majority Balad party, has long been a divisive figure. While her supporters view her as a bold voice for Palestinian rights, her critics see her rhetoric as dangerously inflammatory.
Authorities have not yet disclosed what legal steps will follow her arrest, but officials argue her latest remarks cross the line into direct incitement to terrorism.
The case highlights Israel’s heightened sensitivity to speech surrounding the October 7 attacks, with Zoabi’s international platform now placing her at the centre of a renewed political and legal storm.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp:
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
