“In less than two months, Israel has killed more civilians than Russia killed in Ukraine in two years,” Hadash MK Ofer Cassif told Truthout, expressing horror at Israel’s ongoing onslaught against the Palestinians civilians trapped under Israel’s relentless attacks in Gaza.
The Israeli government’s response to the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas “has nothing to do with the well-being of Israelis,” added Cassif. Rather, it “has everything to do with revenge … and preserving this fascist government in power,” he said.
In the interview for Truthout, Cassif — who has faced formal backlash since October for decrying what he has described as the Israeli Occupation Forces’ ethnic cleansing of Palestinians — analyzes the roots of the Israeli government’s seeming disregard for the Israeli prisoners held by Hamas, and discusses his efforts to persuade progressives within the U.S. Democratic Party to pressure the leaders of the Israeli government to agree to a ceasefire.
According Cassif, “The Netanyahu government doesn’t really care about its own citizens. The assault on Gaza has nothing to do with security. It has nothing to do with the well-being of Israelis. It has everything to do with revenge, a realization of the subjugation plan, and preserving this fascist government in power. Those are the real interests behind this assault. If one wants to really support the Israelis and the security of Israel as a state and its citizens, it must do everything to assist us in dissolving this government, because this government is an enemy of the people of Israel, and of course an enemy to the Palestinians.”
Palestinian civilians bid farewell to their loved ones who were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, December 12, 2023 (Photo: WAFA)
“There is a division in the Israeli society as a whole and of course, within the parliament. As you alluded to, Ben-Gvir and his thugs don’t care about the lives of anyone. They are messianic. Before the massacre, some of them even said so in one way or another, some very explicitly. Orit Strook, the minister of national settlements and national missions with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, said that the land of Israel is ‘acquired by suffering,’ and in my view she sees the Israeli hostages in this way too — merely instruments in the way of ‘redemptions.’ She initially opposed any move to negotiate on behalf of any hostages.
“There is a group of the messianic right in the Knesset who voted against the ceasefire, because for them the lives of people are not important. So, they don’t care about the hostages. Of course, they will not say it in that sense. But you see the situation you described with Ben-Gvir and others in his terrible, disgusting party in what he said in the meeting at the Knesset with the families of the hostages. They are a tiny group, relatively, but unfortunately, they control the government.”
“Netanyahu is not interested in anything but his own good. That’s the only thing that drives him. He knows that as long as his trial goes on, he knows that eventually the chances for him to be put behind bars is very high. He is facing three serious charges and it looks almost certain that he will go to jail,” Cassif said.
Can you talk about the role of Biden and the United States in all this?
“We all know that in the United States, Biden is under a lot of pressure from within the Democratic Party and even by the potential voters of the Democratic Party, and we are less than one year before elections. Biden knows that he may lose those elections. I read recently, in The New York Times, that a huge amount of so-called orthodox Democratic voters are now saying they are not going to vote in the presidential elections because they will not vote for Biden because of his support for the genocidal assault on Gaza. I’m very disappointed with the so-called progressives within Democratic Party, as they are not raising their voices enough. I appealed twice to Bernie Sanders, who never answered. And others, I don’t hear them enough. On the other hand, I am very happy about Jewish Voice for Peace, who are doing tremendous, wonderful work. I salute them and really admire what they’ve been doing.”
“But in the long run, I’m optimistic. I’m sure that in the long run, our alternative will prevail. I’m sure about it. The question is how much blood is going to be spilled, how much people are going to suffer before it is admitted that there’s no other way but the way of ending the occupation and reaching a just peace, right? There is a symbiosis, in order to make Israeli lives better, Palestinian life must be better. We’ll do our best to make this day come as soon as possible,” added.
The full interview:
