Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Childish Kadima spray Perfumes in Knesset; Likud: Air freshener won't get rid of Kadima stench

(Jpost, INn). The Knesset voted Wednesday night to approve the appointment of two ministers from the newly-created Independence party. As the vote passed, MKs from Kadima whipped out cans of air freshener and began spraying the room, saying they needed to rid the place of “the stench of bad politics.”

The MKs were quickly escorted from the hall. At least one had to be physically removed.Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin denounced the brief protest, which violated Knesset protocol. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace to Israeli democracy,” he told the protesting MKs as they were escorted from the hall.

Members of the coalition, however, appeared amused. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was seen chuckling at the outburst.

Likud responded in kind, with MKs saying:
"Over the next three years, Kadima will continue with their gimmicks while the Likud will remain in power," a Likud official announcement stated. "No air freshener will rid us of the stench of the Kadima party files in police headquarters."

Members of the Independence (Atzmaut) faction slammed Kadima as well, saying, “Kadima is the last party that should lecture about public corruption. [MK] Meir Sheetrit should look right and left at his friends, and then himself.”

Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan was alsoremoved from the Knesset discussion, when he told Kadima MK Yohanan Plessner, "You're acting like an Arab." Labor MK Ghaleb Majadleh, who was leading the meeting, responded that he was a "proud Palestinian Arab" and told Erdan to leave.