“This government is waging destruction against its citizens and the Palestinian people, and is now fishing in troubled waters against anyone who raises a critical voice.” – said the Israeli parliamentarian.
The Ethics Committee of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) decided to expel Hadash (Arab Voice for Change) MP and member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Israel Ofer Kasif from parliament for 45 days and deprive him of his salary for two weeks because of his “anti-Israel statements”which are recognized as his references to the war in Gaza.
According to the commission, this decision was made after citizens and MKs Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehuedt) and Nissim Faturi (from the right-wing Likud) filed about 400 complaints against MK Ofer Kasif “due to his statements in foreign media in which he linked the Holocaust to government policies during the war.”
Ofer Kasif commented on the ethics committee’s decision on Friday after Israeli journalists confronted him over his interview with international media, saying that “This decision is another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression. This government is leading to disaster against its citizens and against the Palestinian people.”
Member of Parliament Ofer Kasif
He added: “We are all deeply shocked by the ongoing bloodshed and the shrinking of democratic space. The government is indeed committing mass murder and wants war and violence. These are political, legal and moral statements.”
“I will not remain silent. This government is waging disaster against its citizens and against the Palestinian people and is now fishing in troubled waters against anyone who raises a critical voice.” – said the left-wing Israeli MP.
Kasif noted that the committee’s decision to expel him from the Knesset for a month and a half was clear political persecution, saying: “In every interview, I condemned the Hamas massacre in the south of the country. Political statements against occupation and war are not statements against Israel, since peace and justice serve Israel and its citizens.”
In conclusion, he stated that “Even in these difficult days for all of us, I will not remain silent and will continue to fight for the people and the principles for which I was elected: peace, equality and justice for all.”
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