Hadash MK shoved by police officer at memorial for slain Palestinian activist

Hadash MK Ofer Cassif physically clashes with a Border Police officer during a memorial ceremony in the West Bank for Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian activist who was shot dead last year in the West Bank, allegedly by an extremist Jewish settler.

At the event in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir, marking one year since the alleged lethal shooting of Hathaleen at the hands of extremist settler Yinon Levi, Cassif is seen quarreling with officers present before one shoves him.

“Don’t raise your voice at me,” the officer is heard saying as he pushes the lawmaker, then grabs his arm and appears to force him to the ground amid a crowd of people.

In a statement, Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash Party, says the exchange and subsequent scuffle came after officers declared the area a closed military zone, allowing them to shut the event down.

“A quiet and respectful event in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir in remembrance of Awdah Hadaleen, a peace-loving activist who was murdered a year ago by a settler who continues to roam free and armed, was disrupted by dozens of Border Police officers,” Cassif writes on X. “They declared the area a closed military zone, and during the memorial event even assailed me with physical violence.”

תקיפתו של ח”כ עופר כסיף בידי שוטרי מג”ב היום בכפר אום אל־ח’יר, במהלך אירוע לציון יום השנה לרצח הפעיל והמחנך עודה הד’אלין, חמורה מאוד ומבטאת בצורה ברורה את ההידרדרות הטוטאלית של כוחות הכיבוש אל הפשיזם.

אך היא גם חלק ממציאות רחבה יותר, שבה מיליוני פלסטינים חיים תחת דיכוי, גירוש… pic.twitter.com/jkvoVzJ5dd

— חד״ש Hadash (@Hadash_org) July 28, 2026

He adds that he “doesn’t expect a thing” from the Department of Internal Police Investigations, a State Attorney’s Office agency that probes police on criminal suspicions.

Neither the Israel Police nor the DIPI commented on the incident.

אירוע שקט ומכובד בכפר הפלסטיני אום אלח׳יר לזכרו של עודה הד׳אלין, פעיל שוחר שלום שנרצח לפני שנה בידי מתנחל שממשיך להסתובב חופשי וחמוש, הופרע בידי עשרות שוטרי מג״ב. הם הכריזו על המקום כשטח צבאי סגור, ובמהלך אירוע האזכרה אף תקפו אותי באלימות פיזית.

ממח״ש כבר איני מצפה לדבר. לאחר… pic.twitter.com/JGM1YQlbrZ

— Ofer Cassif עופר כסיף عوفر كسيف (@ofercass) July 28, 2026

“After they closed the case of my assault in Sheikh Jarrah, despite clear footage and after coordination of testimony by the police, it is hard to believe that this time they’ll render justice, even though this assault is filmed clearly,” Cassif adds.

He links the incident to the sharp uptick in settler violence seen in recent years in the West Bank, implicating Israel’s security establishment in the phenomenon.

“But I’m not the point, the point is the cruel reality of the occupation, the ethnic cleansing and murder that Palestinians endure on a daily basis. Settlers carry out pogroms, while the occupation forces enable them, protect them and sometimes even take an active part in them,” he charges.