MK Yinon Azulai Calls Ayelet Saidoff a 'Poison Machine' and Has Her Removed from Knesset Hearing
During a heated Knesset committee session on Wednesday, MK Yinon Azulai of Shas sharply attacked attorney Ayelet Saidoff, chairwoman of the organization 'Mothers on the Frontline,' accusing her of spreading incitement and labeling her a "poison machine." Azulai demanded that Saidoff be removed from the hearing, a request that committee chairman MK Ariel Boaron immediately granted by ordering the Knesset guards to escort her out.
The confrontation began when Azulai addressed Saidoff aggressively, telling her, "You are a poison machine, you said it yourself." Azulai criticized her entire career, accusing her of doing nothing but spreading hatred. Saidoff questioned the reason for her removal, but Boaron insisted she leave, telling her to "go spread poison elsewhere." Azulai continued his tirade even as she was being removed, calling her a "chaos agent" and referencing Saidoff's own previous admissions about her activism.
Saidoff had previously revealed in a widely circulated recording that her group's goal was to dismantle the Haredi community and create internal divisions. She admitted to running campaigns that appeared to sow discord within the ultra-Orthodox sector, including distributing anonymous posters that fueled conflicts among different Hasidic groups.
This incident reflects the escalating tensions in the Knesset surrounding issues related to the Haredi sector, especially amid ongoing activism against the military conscription law. It follows other recent parliamentary clashes, including the removal of MK Naor Shiri after a dispute with MK Tali Gottlieb, highlighting the growing political friction over ultra-Orthodox affairs.