MK Cassif convicted of assaulting officer

The incident took place on May 13, 2022, during a protest in southern Har Hevron following a High Court ruling regarding villages in the Masafer Yatta area. According to the verdict, the area around the junction of Route 317 and the dirt roads leading to Yatta was declared a closed military zone. Security forces stopped Cassif's vehicle and prevented him from continuing, citing safety concerns and a prohibition on entering Area A.

An argument subsequently developed between Cassif and a Border Police officer and a policeman. During the confrontation, Cassif called them, among other things, "filthy liar," "fraud," "criminal" and "scum of humanity." According to the court's determination, after Officer Yitzhak Azoulay stood in front of the vehicle to block its path, Cassif reversed and then moved forward slowly and struck the officer's left leg, with the intent to obstruct him in his duties.

Cassif then exited the vehicle. During the confrontation that developed, the officer lightly touched his face, and Cassif forcefully struck the left side of his head. The officer suffered pain in his head and leg.

Cassif claimed that his immunity as an MK allowed him to move in his vehicle, that the impact on the officer was accidental, and that the blow was made in self-defense. He also claimed selective enforcement. The court rejected the claims and ruled that the security forces acted within their authority, and that immunity allowed Cassif to move on foot in the area, but not to endanger people or obstruct officers by means of his vehicle.

The verdict determined that the blow to the officer is not protected under self-defense, because the response was disproportionate to the touch on his face. The court noted that the conviction rests on the totality of evidence, videos, and testimony presented before it.

The conviction of a sitting MK for a serious violent offense against a police officer is considered an especially unusual event. The court will now be required to determine his sentence in the continuation of the legal proceedings.

MK Ofer Cassif responded to his conviction: "My conviction should surprise no one. It certainly did not surprise me. This, like the failed attempt to disqualify me, is another layer in an ongoing and open political persecution of anyone who stands fearlessly against the occupation, its crimes and criminals, and for democracy, justice, and true peace for both peoples of this land."

"The attempts to distance from the public arena voices that struggle against the government and hold up a mirror to its crimes do not demonstrate rule of law, but fear of an uncomfortable truth. Silencing mouths through the courtroom will not eliminate the struggle and will not silence our voice—it only clarifies how biased the system is and how it is harnessed for political score-settling, orchestrated by Kahanists, most of them serial criminals. These are the ones who continue even at this time to impose terror against the Palestinians in Masafer Yatta and throughout the occupied West Bank at the height of the olive harvest season. We will continue to struggle and bring light to our society and our bleeding peoples. End the occupation, end the bloodshed, yes to peace!"

Cassif was a lecturer at Hebrew University, and was well known for extreme statements against right-wing politicians. In 2019, MK Avigdor Lieberman filed a petition to disqualify his candidacy for the Knesset due to severe past statements, but the Attorney General at the time, Dr. Avichai Mandelblit, recommended not to disqualify him.

Recently, following the 2026 elections, the Central Elections Committee decided to disqualify Cassif's candidacy by a majority vote, but the High Court overturned the disqualification. The justices expressed reservations about his statements and actions, which they described as "outrageous" and "repulsive," but ruled that the words and deeds presented do not meet the stringent tests established in case law for disqualifying a candidate.