Israeli Lawmaker Refuses to Label Hamas Terrorist, Compares IDF Actions

Israeli lawmaker Ofer Cassif, a member of the Hadash party, declined to label Hamas a terrorist organization during a television interview on Channel N12. When pressed by journalists Ben Caspit and Amit Segal, Cassif initially refused to answer directly, stating he was not undergoing an interrogation. He then requested a definition of terrorism and asserted his consistent opposition to violence, particularly against innocent civilians.

When reminded of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, Cassif affirmed that neither he nor his political allies supported the Palestinian organization. Amit Segal then pointed out that Cassif had previously accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of committing "acts of terrorism" and again asked if he considered Hamas a terrorist group. Cassif responded that while he had accused the IDF of such acts, he did not consider the entire military a terrorist organization because it also engaged in other types of operations. He stated that the "same thing" applied to Hamas.

Finally, when asked about his stance on Zionism, Cassif unequivocally stated that he does not consider himself a Zionist and identifies as "anti-Zionist."