MADRID 11 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ethics Committee of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) has voted unanimously in favor of suspending deputy Ofer Cassif for a period of six months for his criticism of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the war in the Gaza Strip , unleashed more than a year ago in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
The body has alluded to a “systematic pattern of action” for which Cassif has also shown no remorse and which criticizes Israel’s decisions. At the same time, the Ethics Commission has rescued a publication on social networks in which the deputy praises the Palestinians of the West Bank as “freedom fighters.”
Cassif is the only Jewish deputy in the progressive Hadash-Taal coalition, with an Arab majority, and has even shown his support for the complaint filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for possible genocide in Gaza. The deputy will be suspended with pay for at least two weeks, according to ‘The Times of Israel’.
Regarding his support for the complaint against Israel at the ICJ, the Ethics Commission considers that Cassif “supports the statements made in the South African complaint that the State of Israel is committing the crime of genocide”, and although he recognizes that it should guarantee freedom of expression, draws distinctions between legitimate criticism and Israeli “encouraging bloodshed.”
Thus, the deputy will be deprived of his right to access the plenary session of the Knesset or committee meetings, except when he must vote. He will not be allowed to participate in parliamentary debates or address the House.
This decision soon received reactions from the Israeli political class. One of the most critical has been the Minister of National Security, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, who has labeled Cassif a “terrorist” and has advocated for his permanent expulsion from the Knesset and his deportation to Syria.
Cassif is well known for his criticism of the Army, even defending that “an attack on soldiers is not terrorism” and comparing Israel and the IDF with the German Nazi regime.
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