Israel takes revenge on its citizens demanding an end to the war on Gaza
Opposition deputy in the Israeli parliament, Knesset, Ofer Cassif, has become a target of criticism in his country due to his support for the genocide lawsuit in Gaza filed by South Africa against Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the Israeli state suppresses any movements opposing its war on the Gaza Strip, and Israeli activists demanding a ceasefire are labeled as ‘traitors,’ receiving death threats.
Cassif is a deputy for the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality and is known for his opposition to the Israeli occupation and his support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish their state. On March 6, 2019, the Central Elections Committee decided to disqualify Cassif from running due to his anti-occupation stance. However, the Supreme Court overturned the committee’s decision, allowing him to run and enter the Knesset.
While social media campaigns against him were underway, Member of the ‘Our Homeland Israel’ party, Uzi Dayan, began collecting signatures in parliament to expel Cassif from Knesset membership. On January 11 and 12 of this year, the International Court of Justice in The Hague held public hearings as part of the proceedings initiated by South Africa against Israel, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
On December 29 of last year, Pretoria filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, which has been under intense warfare for over three months. Cassif’s participation in parliamentary sessions was suspended for 40 days due to his opposition to Israel’s attacks on Gaza since October 7 last year. He stated that it is not easy for war opponents to raise their voices in Israel, and organizing anti-war protests or calling for an end to it is almost prohibited.
He noted that students who do so in schools or universities are stopped, and others are dismissed from their jobs, while the police use various forms of violence brutally against protesters. He pointed out that violence does not only come from the government but also permeates a broad segment of Israeli society, explaining that there are attacks against freedom of expression directed at those who speak out against war. Israeli war opponents receive death threats.
He affirmed that people fear the police because they practice real violence against war opponents, and the worst of all is that violence is legitimized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government, especially by the so-called Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir, in an interview with the Hebrew Channel 13, called for ‘occupying the Gaza Strip, remaining in it, and encouraging the migration of its residents,’ despite international criticism of such statements. Cassif pointed out that ‘the sole reason for the war on Gaza is to ensure the continuity of Netanyahu‘s government, and the issue has nothing to do with the security of Israelis.’ The Israeli deputy warned that ‘failure to immediately stop attacks on Gaza could turn the conflict into a regional or global war,’ emphasizing that ‘everyone will pay a high price if Netanyahu‘s formidable government remains in power.’
He continued, ‘The only way to prevent this is to stop the war as soon as possible, exchange prisoners, withdraw from Gaza, and start a genuine peace process.’ Cassif pointed out ‘the contradiction in the Israeli authorities’ discourse; while claiming not to target civilians in Gaza, they also say that there are no innocents in the sector.’ While Cassif did not explicitly state that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza, he said, ‘I leave the legal definition of genocide to experts in this matter.’
However, Cassif stated that ‘the reason for supporting the genocide lawsuit is his belief in the need to investigate independently what is happening in Gaza.’ He added, ‘In my opinion, what is essential is to investigate what is happening in Gaza; I do not trust the Israeli government or its agents, as what should be investigated is the practices of the Israeli government.’ He affirmed that ‘the Israeli government’s demand for an investigation into this matter is like a thief demanding an investigation into himself to find out if he stole, and this is nonsense.’
He explained that ‘the other reason for supporting the genocide case is to stop the killing, and this terrible attack on Gaza has claimed the lives of Palestinians and hundreds of Israeli soldiers. At the same time, Hamas still holds 136 Israeli prisoners in very poor conditions, so I want to save the lives of these innocents.’ Cassif stressed that ‘it is impossible to achieve a ceasefire through internal protests due to the lockdown measures and repressive practices dominating Israel.’
He added, ‘Dictatorship has become a reality controlling political life in Israel, and we have no choice but to appeal to the mercy of international institutions. This is the main reason that pushes us to support the genocide case filed by South Africa.’ He mentioned that ‘according to a poll, 47% of Israeli society supports ending the war to save the prisoners, and I also agree with this opinion.’
He explained that ‘Israel is not obligated to comply with the International Court of Justice’s decision, but its non-compliance will turn into international pressure. The issue could be brought to the UN Security Council if the United States does not use the veto.’ Regarding the Israeli army’s refusal to allow journalists to enter Gaza, Cassif said, ‘Perhaps they have something to hide, and if you don’t allow someone to enter a place, there’s something you don’t want anyone to see.’
He emphasized that ‘there is no such thing as press freedom when it comes to Gaza, and 90% of journalists in Israel willingly participated in supporting the war and the government’s policy.’ He concluded by saying, ‘There is nothing restricting the press, but they chose not to act freely. I believe that when this shameful situation ends, we will remember that the Israeli press betrayed its profession.’
