The Israel Police have begun investigating statements made last Friday by MK Ofer Cassif (Joint List), during a demonstration by Arabs at the Tomb of Shmuel Hanavi (the Prophet Samuel) near Jerusalem, a demonstration that ended in a brutal attack on a Jew who waved the Israeli flag.
Cassif was documented as he told the Arabs, "I assure you that we continue the fight against the occupation and against these dirty people and together we will win, this is not a fight between Jews and Arabs, it is a fight between those who fight for justice and those who commit crimes. We are with you against the criminals.''
Jerusalem District Police and Border Police officers detained five Arabs for questioning on suspicion of involvement in Friday’s attack.
The Arabs, ages 20-50, are all residents of the area near the Tomb of Shmuel Hanavi and are suspected of attacking a Jew who was carrying an Israeli flag.
They were arrested on suspicion of crimes of participation in a violent skirmish, attacking and injury, crimes motivated by racism or hostility towards a sector, and other crimes.
The Israel Police told Israel National News, "Following the violent incident that took place near the Tomb of Shmuel Hanavi, the Israel Police immediately opened an investigation and even arrested a number of suspects. As for MK Ofer Cassif's statements, the things presented in the video will be examined by the relevant parties and will be forwarded to the review and decision of the prosecutor's office and the Attorney General, who have the authority to make a decision in this type of case as usual.”
Cassif, a Hebrew University professor who is the sole Jewish representative in the Hadash faction of the Joint List, has repeatedly drawn criticism for his anti-Israel statements, including comparisons of Israeli leaders and even the State of Israel to the Nazi party and Nazi-era Germany.
Cassif once shared a Facebook post calling Ayelet Shaked, who at the time was serving as Justice Minister, a “neo-Nazi scum”.
In 2017, he was recorded during a class comparing the State of Israel to Nazi Germany, warning that Israel was “on a slippery slope” to fascism.
Last December, Cassif said that Israel should not be compared to an apartheid state because, he claimed, it is “worse than apartheid”.
Before the election in April of 2019, the Central Elections Committee decided to disqualify Cassif from running, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision.