Members of Knesset from Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit disrupted on Tuesday, June 2, a conference titled “This is How Transfer is Done: Communities Under Attack,” which addressed West Bank violence and government policies, hosted by Hadash MKs Aida Touma-Sliman and Ofer Cassif. Despite right-wing opposition and calls for cancellation, the event proceeded with testimonies from activists, NGOs, and diplomats.
Even before it began, the publication of the conference sparked furious reactions from right-wing MKs, including appeals to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana demanding its cancellation. MK Yitzhak Kroizer of Otzma Yehudit claimed it was a “grave event led by terror supporters, aimed at inciting against the State of Israel, the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and the security forces.” According to him, the Knesset cannot serve as a platform for “false accusations,” and he called the event “a dangerous crossing of a red line.” The Yisrael Beytenu party, from the Zionist opposition, also attacked the conference, writing: “Not in the Israeli Knesset, go to Ramallah.”
Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi (Likud) was removed from the chair while attacking Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of Yoram Metzger, a Nir Oz kibbutz member who was taken alive to the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and murdered in captivity (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90).
Despite the pressure, the conference took place as scheduled. Participants included MK Ayman Odeh and MK Samir Ben Said, alongside activists from human rights and peace organizations, including “Looking the Occupation in the Eye,” Yesh Din, the Mizrahi-Civic Collective, Breaking the Silence, and Hurriyah. Regrettably, no Knesset members from opposition Zionist parties participated in the event.
During the conference, coalition MKs burst into the hall one after another, including Limor Son Har-Melech, Deputy Knesset SpeakerNissim Vaturi, Tally Gotliv, Ofir Katz, and Zvi Sukkot, as well as Deputy Minister Almog Cohen. For long minutes, they shouted at the participants and guests, threatened them, and chanted racist and inciting slogans. Among other things, they called Hadash MKs “terrorists,” chanted slogans in favor of transfer and occupation, and hurled statements at the participants such as: “A thousand of your mothers will cry, and not one of ours,” and “Spies”.
During the incident, the Knesset Guard removed several participants from the hall, including Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of the late Yoram Metzger, while MK Vaturi and Deputy Minister Cohen hurled severe accusations at her, calling her a “terror supporter” and a “terrorist.”
MK Cassif stated at the conference that settler terror is not a random phenomenon but part of an organized policy. According to him, “The terror is part of an organized philosophy and a plan. We must remember that once, a few years ago, they uprooted a tree or burned a field and nothing happened—so they moved forward, stepped it up. Until we reached a situation where they murder and are not tried for it, and usually not even investigated or arrested. There are a legitimization and normalization of this terror here, and as the cliché goes: the fish rots from the head—and in this case, the fish is a snake, and I don’t mean the band.”
At the end of the conference, MK Touma-Sliman said: “Today, you got a two-hour taste of the Knesset diary, of what we experience every single day in the Israeli Knesset. This conference was meant to show that we cannot give up on any arena—and the Knesset is an arena of struggle. Although it is a tiring and fascist arena, which sometimes drains all hope that things here will get better, the very fact that you, the activists, are here proves that we will continue to fight. We will continue to fight the occupation, we will continue to fight the fascists, and we will continue to fight the attempts to silence us.”
The Hadash-Ta’al faction stated in response: “We strongly condemn the acts of violence, incitement, and political bullying that took place today in the Knesset. The events witnessed today are neither unusual nor accidental, but rather a direct expression of the atmosphere led by the government. What we saw today at the conference is just a promo for what might happen in the upcoming election campaign and soon in general. Instead of dealing with facts and criticism, elements within the coalition choose intimidation, incitement, and attempts to silence any opposing voice. We will continue to fight for freedom of expression, for the end of the occupation, for democracy, and for the right of citizens and public representatives to hold a political debate free of threats and violence.”
Hadash list chairman Dr. Yousef Jabareen congratulated MKs Touma-Sliman and Cassif “for fighting and succeeding in holding this important Knesset conference against settler terror and the government’s transfer policy.” According to him, “The provocations by the fascists from the coalition, who tried to violently blow up the conference, will not deter us—and only led to more exposure of the crimes of the occupation and the settlements. Hadash under my leadership will continue to be a consistent voice in the Knesset and on the streets for true peace and a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and against the crimes of the occupation and the settlers.”
In the coming days, additional events will be held by the Peace Partnership to mark 59 years of the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Tomorrow at 7:00 PM, an online discussion will be held with MK Ayman Odeh under the title “How Do We Change Reality?”, discussing ways to break the status quo and build a secure and just future for both nations. On Thursday at the same time, a bilingual conversation between Aline Nasra and Hila Tov will take place titled “How Do We Live Alongside 59 Years of Occupation?”, about life, struggle, responsibility, and hope under the shadow of an ongoing reality of occupation. On Saturday, June 6, a national Jewish-Arab demonstration will be held in Haifa, departing from Paris Square, and on Friday, June 12, the Freedom March will take place in the West Bank alongside Palestinian communities.
