Israel-Hamas conflict: MP threatened with expulsion from Knesset for accusing the Jewish state of genocide

The Israeli Parliament must decide. Should he exclude Ofer Cassif for his support of South Africa, which accused Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip? This Monday, January 29, the Knesset Interior Committee met to seal the political future of the only Jewish member of the far-left, predominantly Arab Hadash-Taal party, reports The Times of Israel.

The issue of the hearing is therefore to determine whether Ofer Cassif's approval of the South African request amounts to supporting Hamas. In response to the deadly attack on its soil by Hamas on October 7, which left more than 1,100 dead according to the Hebrew authorities, Israel is pursuing its objective of eradicating the terrorist group in control of the Gaza Strip. The response, air and land, left more than 26,000 dead in the Palestinian territory where the humanitarian situation is catastrophic, according to Hamas.

Friday January 26, the highest court of the UN asked Israel to do everything possible to “prevent” any possible act of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and allow access for humanitarian aid. Accusations deemed “scandalous” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Denouncing the “betrayal” of his colleague, MP Oded Forer, a member of the far-right party Israel Beytenou, launched the procedure on January 8 to exclude a member of Parliament. This mechanism, never used since its creation in 2016, makes it possible to end the mandate of an MP if the latter is guilty of failings, including support “for the armed struggle” against Israel.

For the suspension to be effective, details the Israeli daily, a letter demanding the opening of the procedure must be signed by 70 deputies, ten of whom are part of the opposition. Three-quarters of the members of the Interior Committee must then vote by supermajority - or 90 elected officials - to endorse the expulsion of the deputy.

If Ofer Cassif is expelled from Parliament, however, he will be able to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. “I have always been against racism, against terrorism and against armed struggle against Israel,” he proclaimed to the Times of Israel on Sunday, affirming that he had only done “to call for an end to the war in order to save lives.”

The MP is known for his comments considered controversial by Israeli society, recalls the Times of Israel. In 2019, he notably accused the then Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, of being “neo-Nazi scum”. More recently - just a few weeks after October 7 - Ofer Cassif was suspended for 45 days from Parliament by its Ethics Commission following comments in which he made, according to the body, a link between "Nazi imagery and government policy during the war.