Ofer Cassif
Ofer CassifYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Shai Glick, CEO of B'Tzalmo, appealed to the Knesset Ethics Committee to immediately suspend MK Ofer Cassif and order him to pay a fine of NIS 100,000, following a post in which he called the soldier Sergeant first class (res.) Shuvael Ben-Natan z”l, who was killed during his military service in Lebanon, by harsh names.

In the post, Cassif claimed, "At the funeral of a settler killed in Lebanon as a reserve soldier, his eulogizers praised him for murdering a 40-year-old Palestinian who was harvesting olives on his land, for seeking blood revenge and seeking to murder as many women and children as possible in Gaza, and for burning down a house there just for the fun of it."

Cassif continued, "Despite his criminal views and actions, he was drafted and sent to Gaza and Lebanon where he was able to carry out his sickening ideas. Monsters like him are now sitting in the government and setting policies. It is not the security of Israel and its citizens that motivates them, but a disturbed and bloodthirsty messianism. Whoever does not fight with all his might against this gang of criminals only strengthens them and leads us to destruction."

Glick wrote to the Ethics Committee: "The time has come to put an end to incitement and slander against IDF soldiers. This is a serious blow to the honor of the fallen, his family and the IDF's heritage. It is inconceivable that a Knesset member will call a fallen soldier a 'monster' and spread inciting and false claims about him." Glick stressed the need to condemn such statements, in light of their impact on public spirit and the risk of intensifying the social rift in Israel.

In his letter to the chairman of the Ethics Committee, Glick demanded an urgent and unscheduled meeting to discuss sanctions against Cassif. According to Glick, the statements made by Cassif crossed all boundaries, and there is a need for him to be immediately suspended, along with imposing a significant financial fine in order to send a clear message.

Public reactions to the post made waves, with other public figures expressing shock at Cassif's remarks and expressing support for Glick's call for severe disciplinary action.