The move to oust MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) from the Knesset is gaining momentum, but Arutz Sheva-Israel National News has learned that MK Benny Gantz and members of the National Unity party, except for MK Matan Kahana, are refusing to sign the initiative to oust him.

This is despite Odeh's recent statements, including comparisons between Israeli hostages and Hamas terrorists.

MK Avichay Buaron (Likud), who is leading the initiative to oust Odeh, has already collected over 60 signatures, including signatures from MKs from the Yesh Atid party. However, 70 signatures are required to initiate the ouster process, at least 10 of which must come from the opposition.

The background to the ouster initiative includes a tweet by Odeh in which he compared Israeli hostages to terrorists, and also a video recently published by Palestinian Media Watch, in which Odeh refers to the mother of terrorists sentenced to 17 life terms as "the mother of heroes."

"Odeh's tweet was the straw that broke the camel's back," Buaron told Arutz Sheva-Israel National News. "To compare our hostages - women, children, and elderly who are being held in Hamas dungeons - to terrorists who murdered and butchered people is unacceptable."

Buaron expressed hope that he would amass 90 signatures, saying, "Otherwise, it would be an affront to the dignity of Israeli democracy and the trust between the public and its elected representatives."

The National Unity party said in response, "Odeh's words deserve to be condemned, and we are awaiting the opinion of the Knesset's legal adviser regarding his ousting and a discussion on this in the faction."

The party added, "The chairman of National Unity, Benny Gantz, is allowing Knesset members who wish to sign the request to do so."