ICC arrest warrants serve Israel's interests: Suspended Israeli MP Cassif

The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are in “the interest of Israel,” says Ofer Cassif, a firebrand Israeli parliamentarian known for his bold stance against Israel's genocidal war on Palestine's Gaza.

“This decision is not against Israel at all. It’s actually against those who are suspect – and justly so – in war crimes. That’s not Israel. That’s Netanyahu, Gallant and others,” Cassif told Anadolu at an event in London.

“I think this decision may even help in distinguishing between the guilty ones and those who are not within Israel. So, at the end of the day, in my view, it’s also in the interest of Israel.”

Cassif has been one of the most vocal opponents of Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and previously declared his backing for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“It came too little and too late, but still, I obviously welcome it,” he said.

“No one should be above international law and universal justice. No one. My humanity precedes my Israelism.”

The 59-year-old Jewish member of the left-wing Hadash-Ta’al party has faced consistent pressure and sanctions for his stance, including a recent six-month suspension from the Knesset.

“They want to stop any kind of criticism,” Cassif said about his suspension.

“They want to silence me and my comrades, because we are the only ones in parliament who raise a voice against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Even the families of Israeli hostages, he said, and others who are opposing the government’s policies are targeted.

“People are persecuted. Anyone who raises a voice against the genocide, or even against the government ... everybody is under attack,” said Cassif.

“This is part of a general situation in Israel now. In addition to the genocide and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as well, there’s a very rapid process of turning Israel into a real fascist dictatorship.”

‘Rapid and profound process of fascism’

Cassif, a Knesset member for around five years, has been a leading figure at protests over Israeli violence against Palestinians, including demonstrations in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem and others against illegal settlements in the West Bank.

He warned that there is an ongoing erosion of democratic norms in Israel, referring to over 100 legislative bills aimed at curbing freedoms and entrenching authoritarianism.

“Some of them were actually already passed as laws, and are intended to demolish any kind of … democracy that still exists in Israel,” he said.

One of the pending bills, which Cassif expects to be passed in a week or two, would bar his Hadash party and other Palestinian parties from participating in elections.

“Not only we are going to be prevented from our right to be elected, but 20% of the population in Israel, who are Arab-Palestinians, are literally going to be prevented from voting for those they support,” he said.

“People must understand that Israel is going through a process – a rapid one and profound one – of fascism, and this is part of it.”

Accusations of antisemitism

Despite the bleak outlook, Cassif remains committed to advocating for a just resolution to the Israel-Palestine issue.

“Either there’s a win-win or lose-lose,” he said, sharing his views on what could pan out over the coming decades.

“Both peoples, Palestinians and Israelis, are going to achieve a just peace, which necessitates the liberation of the Palestinian people and the democratization of Israel, or both peoples are going to perish. No third alternative.”

This is why “our struggle against the genocide, against the occupation, in our view, is also the interest of Israel,” Cassif asserted, rejecting the charges of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias he faces often.

“It’s not against Israel. It’s obviously not against the Jews. It is for everybody who is involved,” he said.

“It’s time to remove the masks from those who accuse us of anti-Semitism, anti-Israelism. They are the ones who should be blamed ... because they act against the interests of Israelis and Palestinians. We are trying to achieve a situation in which both peoples can enjoy a real, good future for their children – and we’ll never surrender.”