From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 11, 2024
Knesset committee suspends far-left MK for 6 months over comments on IDF, Gaza war
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 unanimously votes to suspend MK Ofer Cassif from the Knesset for six months over comments he made regarding the IDF and Israel’s war in Gaza.
In addition, Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, will have his pay withheld for two weeks.
Citing what it called a “systematic pattern of action” for which Cassif has repeatedly failed to show regret, the committee cites several 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 rejects Knesset member Cassif’s interpretation that signing the petition is only a call to examine the hard evidence, and considers his action to support the claims made in South Africa’s claim that the state of Israel is committing the crime of genocide,” the committee states. It adds 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 not be allowed to take part in debates or address parliament.
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.
In a statement, Forer calls 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,” declares 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 Nazi regime, and voiced support for changing the national anthem.
