Ruckus at Knesset panel as deputy AG says expelling far-left MK lacks legal basis

By Sam Sokol 30 January 2024, 12:00 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. 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"

MK Ofer Cassif attends a Knesset House Committee meeting in Jerusalem on January 30, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Attempts to expel MK Ofer Cassif of Hadash-Ta’al from the Knesset lack a legal basis, Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky tells lawmakers during the second day of impeachment hearings against the far-left lawmaker.

Members of the Knesset House Committee are slated to vote on referring Cassif’s impeachment to the Knesset plenum, where the motion will require the support of 90 lawmakers to pass.

Sompolinsky’s comments are repeatedly interrupted by the objections of lawmakers.

“Shame and disgrace,” yells Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky.

“You can’t say that Cassif only wanted to stop the war, he’s accusing Israel of genocide,” screams Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, to the vocal objections of Cassif’s defenders.

Just broke out in screaming only minutes after starting pic.twitter.com/P1fmffc7iT

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) January 30, 2024

Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, signed a petition of support earlier this month for South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice and has publicly accused Israeli leaders of advocating for crimes against humanity against the Palestinians.

In response to Cassif’s “treasonous” actions, Forer set out to invoke a previously unused legal mechanism contained in the 2016 Suspension Law, under which legislators may expel 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.

Sompolinsky’s comments come a day after Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik told the committee that Cassif’s actions fell short of “crossing the criminal threshold” necessary for his removal.