Story Highlights• Charges include money laundering, aiding enemy during war• Azmi Bishara has resigned from Israeli parliament • He was one of 12 Arab Knesset members Adjust font size:
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli police announced Wednesday they are investigating an Israeli-Arab politician suspected of laundering money and passing information to the enemy during Israel's war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon last summer. Police announced the charges against Azmi Bishara after a court-imposed gag order was lifted. Bishara "received large sums of money from overseas sources which he received personally," according to the Israeli police. The charges against Bishara include assisting the enemy during a time of war, passing information to the enemy, being in contact with a foreign agent, and violation of money-laundering laws. Bishara resigned from Israel's parliament, the Knesset, on Sunday. He submitted his resignation to the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, giving up his parliamentary immunity from the charges. Israeli police said they have questioned Bishara twice. During the last meeting, he said he intended to leave the country for a number of days but agreed to return to complete the investigation on a specific date, according to police. In the past Bishara has been criticized for his controversial visits to Syria and Lebanon -- countries that house Hezbollah guerrillas notorious for launching attacks on Israeli soil. Although he has denied condoning violence against Israel, Bishara has been criticized for speaking abroad in support of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Bishara, a Christian, co-founded the Arab party Balad in 1995. One of Israel's most controversial parties, it objects to defining Israel as a Jewish state. In 2003, Israel's High Court overturned the decision by the Central Elections Committee to bar Bishara's party from running during an election. The committee had charged that the party should be disqualified for objecting to Israel's existence as a Jewish state. Bishara was one of 12 Arab Knesset members. Israeli Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population of 6 million. CNN's Michal Zippori and Shira Medding contributed to this report. Azmi Bishara talks to reporters at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, after resigning from the Knesset on Sunday.
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