Ofer Cassif Convicted of Assaulting Police Officer

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court convicted Member of Knesset Ofer Cassif on Thursday morning of assaulting a police officer under aggravated circumstances. The conviction stems from an incident during a protest in the southern Mount Hebron region in May 2022. According to the indictment, Cassif attempted to drive his vehicle towards the protest site, but police prevented him, citing safety concerns and the road's designation as Area A. A dispute ensued, after which Cassif reversed his vehicle and then drove it towards a standing police officer, striking his leg. Cassif then exited his vehicle and struck the officer on the head with his hand. The prosecution argued that both assaults were intentional and aimed at obstructing the officer, rejecting Cassif's claims that the collision was accidental and the subsequent blow was instinctive self-defense. The prosecution also stated that Cassif's actions did not fall under self-defense or parliamentary immunity. Following the conviction, Cassif stated, "The ruling is part of a continuous and clear political persecution against those who oppose the occupation and its policies." He added that attempts to remove dissenting voices from public discourse are not about the rule of law but about silencing them. The Joint List announced its support for Cassif, protesting the court's reliance on police testimony over that of human rights activists. The List asserted that Cassif is being persecuted for participating in protests in Masafer Yatta and for his stance with Palestinian residents, adding that this occurs while Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir continues to support police officers involved in similar incidents.