Knesset suspends far-left MK Ofer Cassif for six months over comments on Gaza war
Hadash-Ta’al lawmaker penalized by for supporting South African motion accusing Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice in The Hague
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Knesset Ethics Committee voted unanimously on Monday afternoon to suspend MK Ofer Cassif from the Knesset for six months, over comments he made regarding the Israel Defense Forces and the war in Gaza.
Citing what it called a “systematic pattern of action” for which the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party has repeatedly failed to show remorse, the committee based its decision on a number of incidents for which the far-left lawmaker has drawn criticism in recent years — such as a tweet in which he described Palestinians fighting against the IDF in the West Bank city of Jenin as “freedom fighter[s].”
It also cited his public support for a South African motion accusing Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice.
Earlier this year, Cassif signed a petition of support for South Africa’s case and publicly accused Israeli leaders of advocating for crimes against humanity against the Palestinians.
The Ethics Committee rejected Cassif’s claim that his support for the petition only signaled support for examining South Africa’s evidence, and said it saw him as having agreed with the assertion that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
It added that while free speech must be protected in wartime, there is a difference between legitimate criticism and “encouraging bloodshed against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel, while undermining the state’s ability to deal” with legal challenges abroad.
According to the Ethics Committee, Cassif will not be allowed to enter the Knesset plenum or committee meetings except in order to vote. He will also not be allowed to take part in debates or address parliament.
In addition, Cassif will have his pay withheld for two weeks.
An effort led by Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer to impeach Cassif for his support of the South African case failed in the plenum in February, when only 85 lawmakers voted in favor, five short of the required three-fourths support in the 120-seat body.
Forer had made use of a previously unused legal mechanism in the 2016 Suspension Law, under which legislators may drum out colleagues from their ranks if they are found to have committed one of a number of infractions, including expressing support “for an armed struggle” against Israel or inciting racism.
In a statement, Forer called Cassif’s suspension “too little and too late,” arguing that “an MK who slanders the IDF and the State of Israel does not and will not have a place in the Knesset.”
“The terror supporter Ofer Cassif should be permanently expelled from the Israeli Knesset and deported to Syria,” declared far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. “Six months is not enough.”
Cassif was previously disqualified from running for the Knesset by the Central Elections Committee in 2019 over his provocative comments, including calling then-justice minister Ayelet Shaked “neo-Nazi scum.”
That decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
He has also stated that “an attack on soldiers is not terrorism,” compared Israel and the IDF to the Third Reich, and voiced support for changing the national anthem.
Following Monday’s vote, Cassif defended his rhetoric, arguing that his “political statements against the occupation, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and genocide committed by the Israeli government in Gaza – witnessed by the entire world – are well-founded statements protected under the freedom of political expression.”
“My punishment is a continuation of the political persecution of opponents of the war and critics of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s bloody rule,” Cassif asserted in a statement, adding that he was “proud to be a partner of the good people who are persecuted by this evil government.”
“I will not be silent and will continue to fight for the end of the war, the return of the hostages, the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel — for peace, equality, and justice for both nations,” he declared.
Cassif declined to come before the Ethics Committee when invited to appear in his own defense.
Following the Ethics Committee’s decision, Cassif’s Hadash party charged in a statement, “The Netanyahu regime seeks to eliminate the Knesset by outlawing the opposition factions. Removing members of the Knesset who oppose war crimes is another drastic step on the way there.
“We will continue to fight against starvation, ethnic cleansing and the killing of innocents, and we will always stand by the most vulnerable — Israelis and Palestinians — against a government that only wants settlements and eternal war.”
