MKs condemn police for assault on Joint List MK
Cassif ’s glasses broken, shirt torn in Sheikh Jarrah protest
Joint List MK Ofer Cassif was beaten by police during a demonstration in the Arab Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Friday, media reported, and lawmakers across the political divide condemned the action against their colleague.
Cassif was in the neighborhood to join a protest in solidarity with its residents as clashes erupted. He also noted that police allegedly knew he was a Knesset member but ignored this fact. of the incident but officers claimed that Cassif was first to use violence and that they were forced to respond.
Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement that “the attack on MK Ofer Cassif by police is serious and unacceptable in a democratic state governed by the rule of law. The immunity of Knesset members is critical to fulfilling their role and is not a matter for one side or the other on the political map. Too often, recently, police officers have violated the law in this matter and the police are required to investigate.”
“Violence against a Knesset member is violence against the rule of law,” said Labor head Merav Michaeli. “The police are surrendering to the interests of the prime minister who has been attacking and humiliating them for years. This cannot be.”
Other MKs also issued statements condemning the police’s conduct.
Knesset Speaker MK Yariv Levin said: “I was shocked to see the serious incident in which a Knesset member was beaten by police. Such brutal behavior is unworthy against any citizen, let alone towards a Knesset member entitled by law to freedom of movement in order to fulfill his role.”
Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg also criticized the police’s conduct, saying on Twitter that “police violence does not go unnoticed in any sector, and it undermines the trust of citizens and the foundations of democracy, especially when it is directed at a Knesset member. Enough violence!”