The Israeli Knesset has banned the elected legislator Ofer Cassif for 45 days for his speaking out on the intentional slaughter of Palestinians, now about three times the level of the slaughter carried out by the Hamas on Oct 7. [Cassif](https://twitter.com/dancohen3000/status/1714707750645604667 refuses to be silenced:
“The Ethics Committee’s decision is another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression in Israel. In each of my interviews, I strongly and bluntly condemned, and expressed my deep disgust at, the criminal massacres by Hamas. My political statements against the occupation and war are not statements against the State of Israel, since peace and justice also serve it and its citizens. All Israelis are severely harmed by the everlasting bloodshed and the narrowing of the democratic space.
“The Israeli government is indeed carrying out a massacre in Gaza and wished for war and violence to pursue its policy. My statements are legal and legitimate political ones. My punishment is a form of political persecution. The ‘government of atrocities’ is bringing a disaster upon both the people of Israel and the Palestinian people, and now also conducts a McCarthyism-style hunting campaign against the critical voices within Israeli society.
“Even in these difficult days I will not be silent and will continue to fight for the principles for the realization of which I was elected—peace, equality, and justice for all.”
