This move comes in response to statements Odeh made about three months ago expressing support for a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal involving the release of both Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages. He also declared at a recent “Partnership for Peace” demonstration in Haifa on last Saturday, that “Gaza will triumph over the policy of war and destruction,” and that “the Palestinian people will defeat the occupation.”

In response, Odeh stated that he “stands proudly” behind his humanitarian stance, which calls for an immediate end to the war and a comprehensive political agreement. He emphasized that “the Palestinian people’s victory over the occupation is a historical inevitability” and that his views “reflect a human conscience and are supported by the vast majority of the world’s people.”

Odeh also criticized the petition’s signatories for their silence on the killing of children in Gaza, noting that some of them “called for Gaza to be completely wiped out.” He declared in a press statement: “I will stand firm—alongside national forces and every democratic, conscientious individual—and we will face this rabid campaign with confidence and deep conviction.”

“The move to expel me from the Knesset is part of a broader campaign of political persecution, led by the far right in a desperate attempt to secure a total victory for Kahanism in the upcoming elections. The fact that members of the opposition chose to join this effort and helped gather the 70 required signatures is nothing less than full cooperation with the Likud’s orchestrated campaign”, he said on X.