Former MK Oren Hazan Accused of Assaulting Municipal Employee

Former Knesset member Oren Hazan, currently an opposition member on the Ariel City Council, is facing accusations of assaulting a municipal employee during a council meeting. According to a report in "Israel Hayom," the municipality claims the employee required medical attention following the incident. Mayor Yair Stabbon called the police and stated, "Oren Hazan attacked one of the employees." Following the confrontation, Stabbon announced he would request the Ministry of Interior to halt council meetings until a full investigation is conducted.

These allegations follow previous discussions within the municipality regarding Hazan's conduct towards employees. Minutes from a January 21, 2025, meeting detail claims made by Deputy Mayor Ella Wiener, alleging Hazan threatened a department director, harassed an employee in the education department, and disrupted the work of other female employees. In March 2025, a recording surfaced of Hazan making an offensive sexual remark towards Stabbon. At the time, the mayor reported that a police complaint had been filed, calling the remark sexual harassment. Hazan responded then by calling it "a slightly unfortunate remark made in jest," adding, "And if anyone was offended by it, I regret it."

Hazan has a prior criminal record stemming from a confrontation within the same municipality. In 2019, he pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to assaulting the CEO of Ariel Municipality and to improper conduct in a public place, following a 2014 incident that began over the seizure of his mother's bank account. The Magistrate's Court in Petah Tikva sentenced him to 100 hours of community service without a criminal conviction. Judge Eliana Daniely stated at the time that "the defendant's behavior was bullying and unlawful." Hazan claimed during that hearing that he was being persecuted by the prosecution and that his complaint against the other party was ignored.