Basil Ghattas, an Arab member of the Israeli Kenesset, said the smearing campaign against him in Israel, which led to his arrest is because he is an Arab.

Ghattas was accused of smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The Hebrew channel 10 quoted Ghattas as saying, “I have nothing to hide and I said what I know during my interrogation.”

Ghattas had reportedly given up his diplomatic immunity, last week, soon before he was arrested.

Palestinian legislator Basel Ghattas said he "did not carry out any violation linked to state security". https://t.co/quIcfwwlAA

— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) December 28, 2016

Oren Hazan, a member of the rightwing Likud partly in the Israeli Knesset, attacked Ghattas, comparing him to President Obama, adding, “Both want to harm Israel but in different ways.”

He added, “One of them is smuggling phones to terrorists, and the other is passing resolutions at the UN which support terrorists.”

Palestinian leaders in Israel believe that the arrest of Ghattas is part of Israeli plan to reduce Arab presence in political life in the country.

(Palestine Times, PC, Social Media)