Knesset Ethics Committee criticizes but doesn’t censure Rothman for NYC scuffle
Panel clears lawmaker of wrongdoing, accepts his claim of ‘borderline self-defense,’ after he grabbed protester’s megaphone while walking on the street in Manhattan last month
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The Knesset’s Ethics Committee on Sunday cleared Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman of wrongdoing in an incident in which he angrily snatched a megaphone away from a protester in New York last month, although the committee criticized him for his behavior.
“Members of the committee found that the incident did not constitute an ethical lapse, but, alongside that, the panel notes that the role of a public servant carries with it the expectation that Knesset members do not get in physical altercations with protesters,” read the statement signed by the ethics board head, Shas MK Yinon Azoulay.
Rothman, a leading architect of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan, was walking with his wife and bodyguards in New York City during a visit to the United States on June 2, as protesters followed behind shouting slogans at the lawmaker. At one point, in an incident caught on video, he grabbed a megaphone away from a protester and walked away with it, eventually scuffling with protesters trying to grab the device back.
Sunday’s statement said the Ethics Committee had found Rothman’s behavior to be “borderline self-defense,” noting the close range of the protester and the fact that the lawmaker felt “personally harassed.”
The panel also appeared to sling some criticism toward the New York Police Department and the Shin Bet, saying that “it expects that lawmakers’ wellbeing will be protected by law enforcement in a way that allows them to fulfill their tasks.”
The protesters filed a complaint against Rothman with New York police, which was closed a day later.
הרגע שבו חבר הכנסת רוטמן חוטף ממפגינה את המגפון *עובר על החוק.
אנחנו בדרך למשטרה. pic.twitter.com/XCsCzeIOHx
— Shany Granot-Lubaton (שני גרנות-לובטון) (@ShanyGranot) June 3, 2023
The Ethics Committee did not speak with the protester whose megaphone was snatched by Rothman, or any other demonstrators who were present, protesters in New York said.
Shany Granot-Lubaton, an Israeli protest leader in New York, said the demonstrators would appeal to the committee to change the decision.
“You can see in the video she didn’t attack him,” Granot-Lubaton said, pointing out that the footage shows security guards between Rothman and the protester before he grabbed the megaphone. “It’s not like he did it to make himself feel safe. It’s a ridiculous answer he gave to the committee.”
Labor MK Naama Lazimi, who lodged the complaint against Rothman with the committee, tweeted Sunday that the panel’s decision was “as logical as a member of Knesset who is rushing toward a coup and violently grabs a megaphone from around the neck of a woman while he is surrounded by security guards.”
Due to his role as a key figure in the overhaul, Rothman has been one of the main targets of protests, and virtually all of his public speeches and appearances in recent months have been met by raucous demonstrations. Protesters in New York hounded Rothman throughout his visit to the area to participate in the city’s annual Celebrate Israel Parade.
Shortly after the incident in New York, Rothman issued a statement defending himself and claiming that he and his wife had felt under attack.
The lawmaker claimed that before he was filmed snatching the megaphone, the small group of demonstrators attacked him and his wife, “blocking our path, stomping on my wife Hannah’s foot and cursing — death wishes, in particular.”
There was no video of this alleged incident.
“Then they placed the megaphone next to our ears (assault in the full sense of the word) and shouted,” he said.
Footage showed the woman with the megaphone was several feet away from Rothman when he turned to forcibly pry away the bullhorn several seconds after she had last used it, with a security guard standing between them.
The Religious Zionism MK argued that he and his guards had repeatedly warned the demonstrators to stay away before he eventually grabbed the megaphone “which she shoved toward my ear, without touching her of course.”
In an interview with Channel 12 news a few days later, Rothman’s wife, Hannah Rothman, said she had felt “assaulted” by the protesters, but cut the discussion short when the interviewer attempted to press her on what dangers she faced.
The Times of Israel Community.