Historical voting: After the Knesset committee recommended to the Knesset plenum to terminate the tenure of MK Ofer Kasif, and once morest the background of his support for South Africa’s lawsuit once morest Israel in The Hague – it was decided this evening (Monday) by a vote in the plenum that Kasif would not be removed from the Knesset.
Most members of Yesh Atid were absent, those who voted in favor were – Debbie Beaton, Simon Davidson, Yaron Levy, Miki Levy, Tatiana Mazarsky, Idan Roll, Shir Segman and Ran Katz. In the state camp, Ze’ev Elkin, Sharon Hashakal, Hili Trooper, Matan Kahana and Gideon Sa’ar voted in favor.
Lieberman responded to the results of the vote: “It is very unfortunate that precisely in the vote for the removal of the terrorist supporter Ofer Kasif from the Knesset, opposition chairman Yair Lapid, former Defense Minister MK Benny Gantz and former Chief of Staff MK Gadi Eisenkot decided to stand by Kasif And not alongside the IDF soldiers. In the case of the removal of Ofer Kasif, it is not a violation of freedom of expression, but rather the cessation of freedom of expression. Instead of the members of the Knesset protecting the IDF soldiers, they abandon them.”
Ofer Kasif during the debate, today, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The chairman of the coalition, Ofir Katz, said at the beginning of the debate: “Every minute he is here as a member of the Knesset is a disgrace to the Knesset and the country.” Katz also added: “It is important for me to say to the members of the Knesset who are undecided, if you do not vote in favor, you will normalize behavior that harms the State of Israel, behavior of legitimizing harm to IDF soldiers, of supporting terrorism, of glorifying terrorists. It’s on your head. If the Knesset of Israel does not stand firm once morest those who come to harm the State of Israel, what will prevent the members of the Knesset here from becoming the next Azmi Bashara and Bassel Gattas?’
The Knesset committee voted in favor of the impeachment of MK Kasif // Knesset Spokesperson
Kassif took to the podium and said: “The request for impeachment that you want to base it on today is a complete lie – that I support the armed struggle of Hamas? There is no lie more repulsive than this. Behind this lie is malicious intent, political persecution and silencing. My statements once morest Hamas in general, and once morest its crimes in On October 7, they were presented to the Knesset committee in detail, and included sharp and harsh condemnation of the massacre and its perpetrators.”
The hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, photo: AP
He continued passionately, and presented his position regarding the accusations of his support for the lawsuit in The Hague once morest the State of Israel: “Blind faith in state institutions exists only in dictatorships. The request to investigate does not support terrorism. Even before signing the petition, we warned once morest harming innocents, in Gaza and outside. Also If we assume that my signature was nevertheless an explicit statement that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, does it have grounds for impeaching a Knesset member? Does it support Hamas?”
The chairman of the Israel Beitenu party, MK Avigdor Lieberman, said at the debate: “For years, Ofer Kasif excelled in harsh and malicious attacks once morest the State of Israel and once morest the IDF soldiers. Anyone who votes once morest today, or runs away from the vote, is simply abandoning the IDF soldiers . I can’t understand how Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, people who commanded soldiers for many years, how they run away from a decision on such an important issue.”
Zvi Sukkot and Yitzchak Weserlauf stand in a demonstration with their backs to Kasif, photo: Yehuda Shlesinger
He went on to attack Lapid: “I also cannot understand the chairman of the opposition, Mr. Yair Lapid, who votes once morest. A member of the Knesset who talks regarding duties and rights, regarding the importance of military service and at a moment like this will not stand by the soldiers. Anyone who votes once morest today, or runs away from the vote, is simply abandoning the IDF soldiers.”
MK Merav Ben Ari Mish Atid came out once morest the members of the Knesset from the coalition who claimed that those who do not vote in favor of removing Kasif are “hurting IDF soldiers”: “The dodgers coalition gives us tips – you say to me that if I vote once morest it I am harming the soldiers? I visit every week Soldiers, from the beginning of the war.”
“But it must be said, I went for half a year with a flag in the protests. If I throw my work to the Supreme Court, when there are clear positions of the Knesset ombudsman and the government ombudsman once morest the impeachment, then what did I do regarding it? We are going through a criminal attack here, we are members Zionist Knesset, patriots, who love the country. You know that this impeachment does not meet the conditions, shame on you.”
The mood was stormy during the debate, this evening in the Knesset plenum, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
A member of Kassif’s faction, MK Walid Taha, said: “In the coalition they found the culprit for all Israel’s problems. But to be honest, what your coalition brought to the country, and continues to bring, exceeds a thousand times what Ofer Kasif said and did. Your policy is destructive, a policy of discrimination and of deepening hatred.”
The recommendation for Kassif’s impeachment comes following he joined the lawsuit once morest Israel in The Hague, accused the Jewish people of a blood plot according to which Palestinian children were executed by soldiers, slandered Israel internationally, compared government programs to programs from the Holocaust, called MKs nicknames such as “Klags”, “Nazis” smelly” and “rapist”, and very recently it was decided to prosecute him for beating a policeman. Despite all of the above, it is doubtful that 90 fingers will be obtained to depose him.
Ofer Kasif during the debate, today, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The members of Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope are expected to vote in favor of the impeachment, but Gantz’s members, with the exception of the party’s left-wing marker Alon Schuster who will oppose, have not yet decided how to vote. In Bish Atid they were given freedom to vote, and even there quite a few opponents are expected to join the members of the Labor Party who will also vote once morest the impeachment. The hesitation of some members of the Knesset lies in the legal side of the story.
Zvi Sukkot left a note for Ofer Kasif who came following him, photo: Yehuda Schlesinger
Opposition Chairman Yair Lapid attacked Lieberman and the move of Yisrael Beitenu in the preliminary debate on the vote of no confidence: “It is a question of Lieberman’s sloppy leadership. After all, in the end, in three weeks, Ofer Kassif will return here as a hero because the High Court will reject the move, and he will go on a world tour at our expense and present Israel as an apartheid state. Instead, what needs to be done to really depose him is to remove his immunity. A criminal prosecution, there will be indictments and so he will be dismissed. I am announcing here that every Yesh Atid faction will support such a move,” he concluded his words.
Chairman of the opposition, Yair Lapid (archive), photo: Yoav Dudkewitz /TPS
For the time being, there is no legal reason to remove Kasif from the Knesset. In order for him to be removed, one of two counts must be proven: inciting racism or supporting the armed struggle of Hamas. In the discussions in the Knesset committee, it was difficult to find decisive and clear evidence. Forer stood with a board and made the necessary connections between the things Kasif said, his support for the lawsuit once morest Israel at The Hague and the damage to Israel, and it was still difficult to find proof that would meet the legal definition one hundred percent.
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