Balls of Steel
Mike Whitney • Monday, January 8, 2024 • 900 Words“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ― Nelson Mandela
There are 120 members in the Israeli Knesset, but one man towers above them all. His name is Ofer Cassif, and he is, perhaps, the most despised man in Israel. His crime—if you can call it that—is that he put his moral convictions into practice by signing a petition in support of “the upcoming hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague”… “accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.” (Times of Israel) Here’s what he said:
“My constitutional duty is to Israeli society and all its residents, not to a government whose members and its coalition are calling for ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide.”
Naturally, Cassif’s comments have been universally condemned in Israel where some surveys show more than 80 percent of Israelis support the current military operation in Gaza. Also, a number of Cassif’s most strident critics have called for the ethics committee to remove him from the Knesset after he announced his intentions. (According to Israeli media: 70 members of the Knesset have already voted to remove Ofer as soon as Monday morning.) Even so, the beleaguered lawmaker has courageously withstood the blistering attacks and forged ahead with his righteous crusade.
The Jerusalem Post provided an example of the attacks on Ofer’s character by other members of the Knesset. Here’s what MK Oded Forer said:
“The treasonous words of MK Kasif can no longer be heard while the blood of our soldiers and citizens is crying out from the ground. MK Kasif, who was previously disqualified from running for the Knesset following a petition I submitted to the election committee, has chosen during the war to join one of the most destructive initiatives for the security of the State of Israel, and thus he supports the struggle of Hamas against Israel. He must soon find himself beyond the borders of the Knesset and preferably beyond the borders of the State of Israel. Israeli far-left lawmaker joins Gaza genocide lawsuit at ICJ” The Jerusalem Post
While MK Oded Forer’s opinion is not uncommon in Israel, it is widely disputed in the rest of the world where the vast majority of humanity feel that the IDF’s vicious rampage in Gaza is not just a ghastly and unjustifiable massacre of innocent civilians, but also stain on Israel’s reputation that will never be wiped clean. Add to that, the fact that the prosecution has compiled voluminous evidence that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent… to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.” The facts speak for themselves.
The truth is, it takes a real patriot to stand up to a raging mob and tell them ‘they’re wrong.’ And that is what Cassif has done. He has defended the defenseless and openly defied the fanatics and pychos who control the levers of state power. He even admitted as much when he said the following:
“Those who hurt the country and the people are the ones who led South Africa to turn to The Hague, not me and my friends.”
Bravo, Ofer. You are an inspiration to us all. Take a minute and watch this short clip of Cassif at a Palestinian protest delivering a powerful statement on human rights while the shots ring-out and tear gas can be seen wafting behind him. Tell me this guy doesn’t have balls of steel.
Israeli politician, Ofer Cassif, says he will provide evidence in support of South Africa/Palestine at the ICJ.
Every time I’ve seen Cassif demonstrate for Palestinians he’s almost always beaten up by Israeli police (Sheikh Jarrah May ‘21). Shin Bet may go after him this time. https://t.co/wZFLosX5Cb pic.twitter.com/ji4f4WvAno
— Naks Bilal (@NaksBilal) January 7, 2024
Cassif: “All the world should know what is going on here. Do not support this neo-Nazi government.”
Here’s more from an article at The Times Of Israel:
Cassif is one of some 200 Israelis who are signing onto a petition of support for South Africa’s case, Ynet reports. In the petition, they say they wish to “add our voice as citizens of Israel to the claims…that South Africa submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in the hope that our voice will help reach a decision that will bring an immediate end to the war.” Israeli lawmaker signs petition supporting Hague genocide hearings on Gaza War, Times of Israel
It’s hard to image the threats, harassment and even physical violence Cassif and his allies are currently experiencing, and with no end in sight. After all, nations, like people, can go bonkers for long periods of time before ‘the ship rights itself’ and sanity is restored. Times like these require clear-eyed men whose views rest on a rock-solid moral foundation. Cassif appears to fill the bill to a “T”. Here he is again:
“When the government acts against society, the state, and its citizens, especially when it sacrifices them and commits crimes in their name on the altar of maintaining its existence, it is my right and even my duty to warn about this and do everything I can within the law to stop it.”
After which, he adds…
“I will not give up the fight for our existence as a moral society. This is true patriotism…”
Indeed, it is.
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/balls-of-steel/?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=mwhitney
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