Ayman Odeh, one of the two Israeli lawmakers expelled from the Knesset on Monday, October 13, after displaying a placard reading “genocide” during US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace speech, has long been a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Palestinian territories.
Born in 1975 in Haifa to a Muslim family, Odeh identifies as an atheist and has led the Arab-Jewish Hadash political group since 2006. Hadash is a left-wing coalition that includes the Communist Party of Israel (Maki) and other progressive movements advocating for equality, workers’ rights, and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.
Odeh, aged 50, has been one of the most prominent Arab voices in Israeli politics, often speaking out against what he describes as systemic discrimination faced by Arab citizens of Israel. He has also been a strong advocate for a two-state solution and increased cooperation between Jewish and Arab communities.
During Trump’s address to the Israeli parliament, Odeh stood up holding a “genocide” sign to protest the Gaza peace deal, which critics argue ignores Palestinian sovereignty and fails to address humanitarian concerns after Israel’s military offensive that killed over 65,000 people in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead.
Odeh was swiftly escorted out of the Knesset by security officers after interrupting the US President’s remarks, joining fellow lawmaker Ofer Cassif in what became a symbolic act of dissent amid a session meant to celebrate a new phase in Israel-Gaza relations.
