I was suspended from Israel's Knesset for highlighting Netanyahu's tyranny

From: Dr. Ofer Cassif, member of the Knesset of Israel and representative of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) since 2019 / The Guardian
Translation: Telegrafi.com

The arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant caught many in the international community off guard. How is it possible that a democracy, perceived as constitutional, bound by the rule of law and a supposedly independent judiciary, is in such serious violation of international laws and norms?

However, those who have watched the genocide unfold in horror and shock over the past year did not need a revelation from the ICC to understand the scale of the war crimes and atrocities committed in Gaza. Palestinians, faced with the ruins of a bombed-out Gaza, the occupied West Bank or illegally annexed East Jerusalem, were obviously not surprised. For decades, under the control of the Israeli occupation, successive generations of Palestinians have been deprived of their basic rights and freedoms. For them, the idea of ​​Israeli rule of law is as absurd as any colonial attempt to legitimize tyranny through empty laws.

The same empty idea of ​​legality is now being used by the government of Israel to justify the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza, the targeting of hospitals and medical centers, the blocking of the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the forcible expulsion of residents of northern Gaza. When starvation and deprivation of the basic necessities of life are used as a method of war for more than a year, what other term than "genocide" can describe this reality?

Meanwhile, a campaign of ethnic cleansing continues in the West Bank, where more than 20 communities have been forcibly evicted amid heightened levels of settler violence. In this regard, ICC arrest warrants are too few and far between.

The Palestinians were not surprised, but neither, indeed, were the Israelis. We read and listen to Israeli government statements, without filters and translations. We know that senior ministers have celebrated the killing of innocents, while one of them has announced a plan to relocate more than half the population to make room for Jewish settlements within the next few years. When I, as a member of the Knesset, spoke out against these crimes in Parliament, I was severely punished. I am currently serving a six-month suspension from all parliamentary activities for using the term "genocide". The Ethics Committee stated that the decision was made because of the use of this term and my opposition to the alleged war crimes in Gaza.

In the Orwellian dystopia of the Israeli Parliament, those who applaud war crimes are considered heroes, while those who fight for justice are persecuted as traitors. My punishment is a continuation of the political persecution of opponents of the dirty war and critics of Netanyahu's bloody rule.

I am not the only one who opposes his tyranny. The persistent political opposition within Israel itself, consisting of democratic Jews and Arab citizens, also considers the idea of ​​democracy in Israel under Netanyahu absurd. Democracy in Israel has never really existed, due to the very definition of the state as an ethnic concept, which contradicts the principle of political equality.

A state that in its basic laws declares one group politically superior to another cannot be called a democracy, but an ethnocracy. Since its founding, Israel has pursued discriminatory policies against its Palestinian citizens in every aspect of life – from housing to education. Even the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom does not mention the right to equality.

However, Netanyahu's current government is unique among its predecessors in that it does not pretend to maintain any illusions of democracy. It consists of the most extreme elements of Israeli society: the most radical ministers, the most virulent racists, the most messianic settlers and the most dangerous fanatics. "The Jewish people possess the sole and inalienable right over the entire territory of the Land of Israel. The government will develop settlements in all its parts, including Judea and Samaria", says the first point of the coalition agreement.

However, the current Netanyahu government is unique among its predecessors in that it does not attempt to maintain any illusions of democracy. It consists of the most unacceptable elements of Israeli society: extremist ministers, the biggest racists, the most messianic settlers and the most criminal fanatics. "The Jewish people possess the sole and inalienable right over the entire territory of the Land of Israel. The government will develop settlements in all its parts, including Judea and Samaria," says the first point of its coalition agreement.

This statement was made before the attacks of October 7, which I and my compatriots condemned in the strongest language. We pointed out that, although all the atrocities of the occupation cannot justify such a terrible massacre of innocents as that perpetrated by Hamas, neither can this massacre justify the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.

Currently, with each passing day, the government of Israel is creating an increasingly monolithic, violent, and openly racist state. Under the pretext of the war against terrorism, legislation that limits democratic space is being passed at an alarming rate. Teachers, academics, students, journalists and workers are being targeted, censored and silenced. In parallel, a special bill is being prepared that aims to ban political parties, based on their main support from Arab citizens of Israel, from participating in national elections.

Fanatical settlers are awaiting approval to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, campaigning near the border without any interference from security forces. Palestinians are increasingly concentrated in small enclaves, which are increasingly brutally attacked by military forces. The "Decision Plan", originally conceived by MP Bezalel Smotrich, is being implemented as Netanyahu continues his fantasy of being the first Israeli prime minister to expand the state's territory in decades.

To fulfill this plan, he is willing to flood the entire region with rivers of blood – of Jews and Arabs, of Israelis and Palestinians. His government is sacrificing hostages and sees nothing wrong with giving up any hope of a ceasefire or full peace.

We must continue to believe that just peace is possible and act to achieve it. When people feel that freedom and justice are at hand, they tend to reject bigotry and violence and accept more rational and peaceful solutions. Even the most bitter conflict can end this way.

Hope must be kept alive in Israel and Palestine, but it must not blind us to the dark reality of today. The international community must understand that support for the government of Israel is inconsistent with support for the people of Israel. It is our government that we fear the most and that we must get rid of. If you really want the best for Palestinians and Israelis, offer us the means for peace and freedom, not war and destruction. /Telegraph/