Radical left-wing MK disparaged IDF troops during war, Btsalmo charges

The Btslamo Organization has written a letter to the Knesset Ethics Committee calling on it to take action against MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) for disparaging IDF soldiers during a war.

Btsalmo (In His Image) is a self-described human rights organization with a focus on Jewish rights, although not exclusively. 

CEO Shai Glick wrote a letter to the Ethics Committee asking them to punish Cassif for violating committee decision number 16/25.

Published on October 18, decision 16/25 relates to the freedom of speech of Knesset members during wartime.

MKs typically enjoy expanded freedom of speech due to their role in the legislative process, which is the reason for their parliamentary immunity.

The Ethics Committee announced that such immunity is not unlimited, ruling that "A statement that violates the confidentiality of sensitive security or political information may constitute a criminal offense, but it sometimes also constitutes an ethical offense."

It highlighted that during wartime, Knesset members have to be even more careful with their speech due to its wide-reaching implications.

The committee says it will have zero tolerance for any of the following types of statements, "Statements that may harm the struggles of the State of Israel and the public during the fighting; that may result in damage to the security of the State of Israel, its citizens, or the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces; that disparage or discredit the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces or the citizens of Israel or imply a call to such; [or] which are interpreted as supporting or justifying acts of terrorism, violence and bloodshed."

It said it would impose harsh sanctions against those found to have made such statements.

Accusations against Cassif

In point six of his letter, Glick accuses Cassif of telling American media that "the State of Israel is massacring Gaza and that Israel's vigilante groups are going to kill thousands of innocent leftists."

He charges that claims of massacring Gaza harm every IDF soldier and the State of Israel.

Glick also says that by slandering the Emergency Squads, Cassif is "stabbing a knife into the hearts of the citizens of Israel."

The rest of the letter complains that Cassif was not punished the last time he was sent before the Ethics Committee and calls for him to receive the "maximum punishment": six-month suspension and a denial of pay for two months.

Point 17 highlights that two other MKs, Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party) and Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit), also filed complaints against the far-left MK.

There are some problems with Glick's accusations, however.

First, Cassif's statements that the IDF was massacring Gaza and comparing it to the Holocaust occurred on October 18, the day the Ethics Committee published its decision regarding MK's speech. However, it is unclear if these are the statements in question as the letter does not specify.

Second, he has already been punished for the statements made on October 18, since he was suspended for 45 days and had his pay denied for 14 days.

Third, Cassif's comments about the Emergency Squads appear to only be about some of them. Instead, he specifies that the squads formed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after the start of the war are "fascist militias." 

The MK of Hadash ("New"; Hebrew acronym for "The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality") is referencing Ben-Gvir's recent policy to give out guns to citizens for protection against terrorism, which has itself been challenged due to problems with the vetting process.

Cassif claims that as part of the process of receiving a gun, one must attend a public ceremony with Ben-Gvir present and that refusal to be seen publicaly with Ben-Gvir prevents one from receiving a gun, which one would have otherwise received. It is not clear if this is accurate.

Glick's letter was sent on December 7 and the Ethics Committee has yet to publish its response.