Israel Parliament passes controversial law on MP expulsion

Bill allows Parliament to vote to sack a member 'who incites racism or supports armed struggle against the state of Israel'

Israel's Parliament passed a controversial law that allows the ouster of members accused of racial incitement, which critics have said is intended to target opposition Arab legislators.

The bill, supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, allows Parliament to vote to sack a member "who incites racism or supports armed struggle against the state of Israel".

The law, passed after a heated debate with 62 votes in favour, 47 against and several members absent, will require 90 of 120 lawmakers to approve an expulsion.

The legislation was put forward after three Arab-Israeli opposition lawmakers sparked controversy when they visited relatives of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces after alleged attacks in Israel.

The MPs said they were attending a meeting about the repatriation of the Palestinians' bodies to their families.

Arab-Israelis are the descendents of Palestinians who remained after the creation of Israel in 1948, and make up about 17.5% of Israel's eight million population.

The Arab-Israeli parties won 13 seats in parliament following elections in March 2015, making them the third largest force in the legislature.

The passing of the bill comes after parliament earlier this month adopted a much-maligned law on NGO funding, seen by critics as targeting left-wing groups.

That law, which forces NGOs that receive most of their funding from foreign states to declare it, was criticised by The European Union (EU) which warned it risked "undermining" Israel's democracy.