The Knesset's Ethics Committee decided on Sunday that there was no ethical violation on the part of MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) in the incident in which he snatched a megaphone from a leftist protester in New York.
"Besides the difficulty of the act of snatching the megaphone, the members of the committee noted that it is expected that the safety of the members of the Knesset will be preserved by the enforcement agencies in a way that will allow them to fulfill their duties. In any case, the members of the committee found that under the circumstances of this case, no ethical violation was committed," the committee's decision reads.
At the same time, its members noted that "holding a public position brings with it criticism and we expect members of the Knesset not to enter into a physical confrontation with protesters."
The committee accepted Rothman's claim that the incident was a case of self-defense and rejected the complaint of MK Naama Lazimi from the Labor Party.
The incident occurred last month, when leftist protesters accompanied Rothman on his way to the Manhattan hotel where he was lodging ahead of a pro-Israel parade.
While they walked, the protesters shouted, "shame, shame," at Rothman. At one point, Rothman took the megaphone from a protester standing near him.