Israeli MP removed from Knesset podium after criticising Gaza genocide

Israeli lawmaker Ofer Cassif, a member of the left-wing Hadash-Ta’al party, was forcibly removed from the Knesset podium on Monday night after quoting Israeli author David Grossman’s recent remarks describing Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as “genocide.”

During a plenary session, Cassif cited Grossman’s statement published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica, in which the writer expressed, “For years I refused to use the term genocide, but now, after the images I’ve seen and after speaking to people who were there, I can no longer avoid it.” Cassif added that Grossman spoke with “immense pain and a broken heart.”

His remarks were abruptly interrupted by Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi (Likud), who claimed the quote was fabricated, shouting, “That’s not a quote, that’s made up.”

Read: Israeli politician quotes Hitler to justify call for Muslim extermination in Gaza 

Fellow Likud member Tali Gottlieb also objected loudly, declaring, “He will not say ‘genocide’ in here!”

Knesset ushers then physically removed Cassif from the podium amid ongoing protests.

The incident underscores the intensifying political tensions within Israel over the conduct and language used to describe the military operation in Gaza, which has drawn increasing scrutiny both domestically and internationally.

Cassif has long been a vocal critic of Israeli policy toward Palestinians and is the only Jewish member of the predominantly Arab Hadash-Ta’al alliance. 

He has not commented further since his removal from the session.