Political Career
Hazan was elected to the Knesset in the 2003 elections as a member of Likud. He chaired the committee on drug abuse, and was a member of several other committees.
During the Knesset term it emerged that he had voted twice during the second and third readings of a bill on the emergency economic plan in May 2003. After voting on his own panel, he also voted using the panel of absent Likud MK Inbal Gavrieli; both votes were cast against the bill. After being accused, Hazan then attempted to tamper with the evidence by removing the machines in question from the storeroom in which they were kept. However, he was caught in the act by the Knesset's CCTV. Nevertheless, despite the clear evidence, on 22 December 2003 the Knesset narrowly voted (by a majority of one) not to lift his parliamentary immunity.
Hazan was convicted and sentenced to four months of community service and a six-month suspended prison term. He appealed the sentence, but was rejected by the Jerusalem District Court on 17 January 2007. He was not re-elected to the Knesset in the 2006 elections.
Hazan also courted controversy for his comments about Arabs, stating "The Arabs are worms who work underground and indiscriminately murder Muslim soldiers." Despite being asked by the Knesset speaker, he refused to retract his comments.
Read more about this topic: Yehiel Hazan
Famous quotes containing the words political and/or career:
“Indiana was really, I suppose, a Democratic State. It has always been put down in the book as a state that might be carried by a close and careful and perfect organization and a great deal of—[from audience: “soap”Ma reference to purchased votes, the word being followed by laughter].
I see reporters here, and therefore I will simply say that everybody showed a great deal of interest in the occasion, and distributed tracts and political documents all through the country.”
—Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)
“From a hasty glance through the various tests I figure it out that I would be classified in Group B, indicating “Low Average Ability,” reserved usually for those just learning to speak the English Language and preparing for a career of holding a spike while another man hits it.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)