Ayman Odeh. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – A complaint has been lodged against Ayman Odeh, head of Israel’s Joint Arab List political party, demanding that he be investigated for alleged incitement against Israeli soldiers.

Attorney Hor Uriel Nizri submitted the complaint to Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and to the Jerusalem District Police, alleging that Ouda—who is also chairman of the Hadash Arab-Jewish Communist Party—has called Israeli Arabs and Aramean Christians who serve in the Israel Defense Forces “pathetic” and has termed a program to encourage Arameans to join the military “a pathetic plan.”

Current Israeli law does not require most Arabs to serve in the military. But in April 2014, the IDF launched a campaign to encourage more Arameans to volunteer, mailing out enlistment forms to potential recruits. The information detailed the process of volunteering for service and spelled out the possible roles available for the recruits, including combat positions. Some 128,000 Arameans live in Israel.

Odeh said in response to the complaint, “We are in favor of young people volunteering, but we absolutely oppose any attempt to make civil rights conditional upon volunteer work or volunteering via the Defense Ministry.”