Likud MK: If Cassif Had a Kippah and Tzitzit, He’d Have Been Sitting in the Basements a Long Time Ago

The Knesset Committee held a hearing Tuesday on a motion to impeach MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) for supporting South Africa’s accusations of Israeli genocide in Gaza.

A government representative said that the attorney general is of the view that Cassif should not be impeached. “Revulsion for his actions and condemnation are one thing, putting together a legal position to impeach a sitting MK is another,” the representative said.

“Removing a sitting MK is an action which severely harms the right to vote and be voted in, the personal rights of an MK, and the political right of expression. It should only be done according to law and based on proven evidence.”

The representative added that removing Cassif for signing the petition accusing Israel of genocide would be “unprecedented and dangerous,” and “harm Israel’s democracy and resilience.”

“It is an embarrassment that this is the position of the AG,” MK Chanoch Milwidsky (Likud) said. “If he had a kippah and tzitzit, he would have been sitting in the basements a long time ago.”

MK Moshe Saada (Likud) slammed Cassif, saying, “He does not support terror, he perpetrates terror. We expect that indictments will be filed against him for the blood libel. People will be harmed as a result of this blood libel.”

A majority of 90 MKs will be required to make Cassif the first MK to be impeached through such a procedure. Thus far, over 85 MKs have signed the proposal to impeach him.

Before the election in April 2019, the Central Elections Committee decided to disqualify Cassif from running, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision. The same court can overturn a Knesset decision to impeach Cassif.