From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 19, 2024
Motion to oust MK Ofer Cassif defeated in Knesset after only 85 MKs vote in favor
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"
An unprecedented impeachment vote against MK Ofer Cassif fails in the Knesset plenum, with only 85 out of a required 90 lawmakers in the 120-seat body voting in favor of expelling the far-left legislator.
The effort to remove Cassif from the parliament came in response to his public support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which has been described as “treasonous” by his critics.
The only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, Cassif signed a petition backing Pretoria’s claims and accused Israeli leaders of advocating for crimes against humanity against the Palestinians.
In response, Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer set out to invoke 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.
The impeachment process easily passed the first two steps of the process — submitting a letter signed by a minimum of 70 MKs and obtaining the support of at least three-quarters of the House Committee — but died in the plenum after falling just short of enough support.
Got a bit intense here pic.twitter.com/gBP7mb3LBC
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) February 19, 2024
Following the vote, Arab lawmakers hug Cassif, while rightwing lawmakers scream their disappointment, with the two sides appearing on the verge of coming to blows.
While the measure was supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it did not receive necessary support from Yesh Atid and National Unity leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz.
Despite the widespread backlash against Cassif, both Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky and Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik have stated that the charges against him fall short of “crossing the criminal threshold” necessary for his removal.
