On Friday afternoon, a small protest took place in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. It was part of a weekly demonstration against a group of Jewish Israelis who moved into the neighborhood at the expense – according to the protesters – of the eviction of Arab residents from their homes.
The protesters toured the new homes and as they made their way back to a small park where the protest is usually held, they were met by a small police force under orders to disperse them.
Ofer Cassif, a member of Knesset from the Joint List, was at the demonstration. It ended with Cassif severely beaten by police, a ripped shirt, broken glasses and in need of medical attention.
A video of the incident shows Cassif yelling at a policeman and then suddenly grabbed by the cop and several of his fellow servicemen and beaten. Pictures showed one policeman kneeling with a knee on Cassif’s neck, a practice that the police are not supposed to use and a reminder of the trial that is taking place right now in the US over the death of George Floyd.
The incident drew condemnations from across the political spectrum.
“The attack on MK Ofer Cassif by police is serious and unacceptable in a democratic state governed by the rule of law,” Religious Zionist Party Chairman Bezalel Smotrich. “The immunity of Knesset members is critical to fulfilling their role, and is not a matter for one side or the other on the political map.”
“I was shocked to see the serious incident in which a Knesset member was beaten by police,” said Knesset Speaker MK Yariv Levin from Likud. “Such brutal behavior is unworthy of any citizen, let alone towards a Knesset member entitled by law to freedom of movement in order to fulfill his role.”
Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg also criticized police conduct, saying that “police violence does not go unnoticed in any sector, and it undermines the trust of citizens and the foundations of democracy, especially when it is directed at a Knesset member. Enough violence!”
Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the New Hope Party, said that he despises Cassif’s views but the attack against him was like an attack against the entire Knesset.
The fact that members of Knesset from the Right can join MKs from the Left in condemning the police shows that what happened on Friday was extreme. Videos of the incident definitely give the impression that the violence directed at Cassif was illegitimate and even unprovoked.
The Israel Police need to launch a serious probe into the incident and hold accountable the men who violently attacked an Israeli legislator.
Unfortunately, though, police violence is not at all new. Anyone who has attended the protests that used to take place every Saturday night in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu witnessed for themselves the aggressive police force.
It is hard to shake the feeling that the violence directed against Cassif stems from the current political atmosphere in Israel. It is nice that MKs from the Right and Left are all now condemning the violence but it was only a few days ago that Smotrich, as an example, told a member of Cassif’s party that the Land of Israel belongs to Jews and that soon Muslims who refuse to recognize that will not be welcome here.
Does that message not trickle down to the policemen who are then sent to contain a protest in east Jerusalem? When police hear the way the prime minister speaks about the judicial system and the way MKs speak to one another in the halls of parliament, we would be naive to think it doesn’t influence policemen who then face off against these same MKs on Israel’s streets.
This is all connected and it needs to come to an end. When our politicians insult one another, call one another traitors and incite against government institutions, should we really be surprised when violence erupts on our streets?
The police will hopefully conduct a thorough investigation and those responsible – if found to have violated regulations – will be held accountable.
But that is not enough. The political culture in this country is corrosive. That also needs to change.