While the genocide of Palestinians continue despite international efforts to demand the Israeli government declare a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Hadash (“The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality”) fights for justice for both the Palestinians and the mass of Israelis that want to see an end to Far-Right Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal regime.
Hadash MK member avoids Impeachment
A Knesset MK, Olef Cassif of Hadash was almost impeached by the rest of his peers on the Israeli parliamentary floor. Nearly all the Knesset coalition members from the right-wing parties – the Likud, Religious Zionist Party, and Otzma Yehudit – supported the impeachment.
The effort to remove Cassif from the parliament came in response to his public support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and to start an investigation into the government’s handling of aid to the Palestinian civilians of the Gaza Strip.
Cassif signed an Israeli petition back by many other Arab and Jewish peace leaders backing South Africa’s claim and accused far-right Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Netanyahu of advocating for crimes against humanity against the Palestinians. The response from the far-right MK was that this signing of a petition was an act of treason showing support for Israel’s enemies.
Cassif said at the end of the debate in his defense that “this impeachment request is based on a clear lie – that I support Hamas’s armed struggle. There is nothing further than this, there is no lie more disgusting. Behind the lie is a clear malicious intent – political oppression and silencing of critical voices in general, and Arab citizens and their representatives in the Knesset in particular, with the final goal being their complete exclusion from public and parliamentary life.”
On February 29th, Israel’s Attorney has filed an indictment against Ofer Cassif for “assaulting a police officer” two years ago, Zo Haderech reported Thursday. These ‘McCarthyite’ attacks on MK Cassif implicate a trend in Israeli politics of antidemocratic rule from Right Wing Zionists. Due to the rising popularity of a peaceful two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, these right-wingers want to silence their domestic opposition so they can continue their authoritarian and destructive regime.
“The Palestinian people deserve the right to self-determination”
In February, Netanyahu’s government made a statement declaring that “Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.” and that, “Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.”
In its sitting on February 21st, Knesset Plenum voted to approve the Government’s statement.
Another Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, on the floor of the Knesset said in response to the tragic decision: “There’s a nation that I am so proud of — the Palestinian people. One hundred years of struggle against the Zionist movement, against colonialism, against imperialism. I am proud of this nation for not raising a white flag. The Palestinian people deserve the right to self-determination, to establish their own state in the occupied territories alongside Israel.”
Support Hadash in its democratic struggle for peace and justice for Peace in Palestine and Israel!
In the local authority elections held on Tuesday February 27th, across Israel, Hadash ran in more than 40 localities, including Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Beer Sheva, Acre, Ramla, Nof HaGalil and Karmiel. In the Knesset, they have four MK members of both Jewish and Arab backgrounds Hadash, is continuing to lead the Israeli struggle against Netanyahu’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Hadash supports Israelis as they protest in the streets against far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, demanding early elections, a deal to release the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and against the war.
We wish Hadash success in their elections. And despite the authoritarian attacks on their Party members, we applaud Hadash in its leadership towards a non-zionist Israel.
Executive Board of the United Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order
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