Former Labor MK Eitan Cabel announced on Tuesday evening that he decided to cancel his membership in the Labor Party.
Cabel told Channel 12 News that his decision came about because of his party's decision not to support the condemnation of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after he equated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh in announcing that he would seek arrest warrants against them.
"A loss of a path has already been felt in the Labor Party for many years. But yesterday, I felt like I was punched in the stomach. I am still a member of the Labor Party and after this incident I decided that I am not ready to be part of a party that has completely lost its way," said Cabel.
"I will not say out loud my feelings about Netanyahu, out of respect for the viewers," he added. "But the statement that compares the Prime Minister of Israel with Sinwar is far beyond that, and I am not ready to be a part of this place."
His comments came a day after 106 members of the Knesset issued a statement against the ICC Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, condemning him for seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
"The State of Israel is in the midst of a just war against a criminal terrorist organization," the statement said. "The IDF is the most moral army in the world. Our heroic soldiers fight with unparalleled courage and morality, in accordance with international law, as no other army has ever done."
The statement added that "the scandalous comparison of the prosecutor in The Hague between the leaders of Israel and the leaders of Hamas is an indelible historical crime and a clear manifestation of antisemitism. We reject it with disgust."
"80 years after the Holocaust, no one will prevent the Jewish state from defending itself," concluded the statement, which was signed by Knesset members from all parties, except for the Labor Party and the Arab parties.
Labor MK Naama Lazimi explained, "I have no intention of signing a meaningless and non-influential statement that is intended to be a tool in Bibi's game to gain legitimacy and fortify his corrupt and bad government. This is Bibi's way of evading decisions and instead producing empty statements and continuing to spread hot air instead of taking action."
She stated that "the court's decision regarding Israel is shameful and makes an unacceptable comparison that hurts us all, but it is also part of the complete failure of Bibi and his leadership. He should take responsibility and leave."