The Lone Israeli Lawmaker Challenging the Narrative Against Iran

As Israel and the United States pursue a broad military campaign against Iran, a seemingly unified political consensus appears to prevail in Jerusalem. There is widespread support across all political factions in Israel for the war. Even Yair Lapid, the opposition leader once considered a harsh critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is defending the US attack on Iran in interviews with various international media outlets.

Netanyahu's other political rival, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, interprets the ongoing war as an attempt to weaken the 'mechanism of repression.' He believes that following this attack, the Iranian people will be able to choose their own future. The Israeli parliament, or 'Knesset,' has 120 members. The vast majority of them support the attack on Iran. However, there is one member who continuously challenges the government's narrative dash; his name is Ofer Cassif. According to him, the attacks on Iran are motivated more by political gain than by security concerns.

He is the sole Jewish member of the Arab Hadash party. He openly opposes the war. He is the only lawmaker in Israel who opposes the war. We have translated an interview conducted by the Russian news agency RT with Cassif, which we deemed suitable for Nepali readers.

Here is the edited excerpt.

Israel and the US claim the ongoing war is a necessary step to stop Iran's nuclear weapons development and prevent the risk of ballistic missiles. How truthful are these claims?

For this, we must recall the announcement made by Prime Minister Netanyahu following Israel's first attack on Iran last June. He had said, 'We have achieved victory. We have stopped the risk of nuclear missiles. We have destroyed Iran's nuclear project and missile industry.'

If that is the case, he was lying then. Now, too, he is lying by citing the risk of nuclear weapons and missiles. The real reason for the attack on Iran is something else. There is an economic and political interest of the US and Israeli governments there. That is the core reason. It has nothing to do with the actual risk supposedly posed by Iran.

That does not mean I have any sympathy for the Iranian regime. I am against the Iranian style of governance. I also support the struggle of the people there. But I am equally against the attack on Iran. Such an attack does no good for the people of Iran. It has nothing to do with the actual risk of such an attack. It involves purely economic and political interests. Netanyahu has a personal interest. He wants to announce 'early' elections in Israel. Furthermore, he wants to present himself as the savior who protected Israel from the risk posed by Iran and the entire region in the election. He wants to win the election under that pretext.

Another claim frequently repeated by Israeli politicians is that Israel leads the fight against Islamic extremism, and this war is fought for the benefit of the entire world. What is your understanding of this?

Netanyahu has no concern with Islam or Islamic extremism. He is not concerned with what the Iranian regime is like. He also has no concern about working for the benefit of the Iranian people, or rather, the Israeli people. He needs to fulfill his personal interests. The interest hidden within him is not wanting to go to jail. He knows that as soon as he loses political power, he will end up in the cold confines of a jail cell due to the cases pending in the judiciary.

That is the real reason for all this commotion. Netanyahu is not saving the world from Islamic extremism. I don't even think that Islamic extremism is the main problem the world is facing today. Certainly, there is extremism in a part of Islam. But such a problem is not exclusive to Islam. Extremism present in all religions is equally problematic. The radical and extremist Christians in America and the hardline 'Zionist' Jews in Israel are certainly no less harmful.

The main threat the world faces today is capitalism. Capitalism is responsible for the current attacks and the climate crisis. These are likely the primary long-term risks we face. Unfortunately, some leaders like Netanyahu and Trump are exacerbating that very problem. Therefore, I believe our main problem is capitalism rather than Islamic extremism.

What do you say about the timing chosen for the attack?

The timing of the attack was determined by looking at the interests of Trump and Netanyahu. Specifically, their purely personal interests were considered. The 'Midterm' elections are approaching in the US. In Israel too, the elections scheduled for October have been moved to June. The ruling leaders in both these elections are afraid of performing poorly. They view the current attack as a way to improve their election results.

You are one of the few people who speak out vocally against the war. How is your expression received in Israel?

In times of war and any kind of conflict or crisis, a very large portion of Israel's population agrees with and supports the state's attitude. This tendency has been systematically established in the State of Israel since its inception. In Israel, we are the only force that always stands firmly against any kind of attack and war. When we oppose the war like that, we certainly feel isolated. We also feel marginalized.

What we have experienced up to this day is that whenever we stand against war, we are initially isolated or marginalized. Whether it was the first Lebanon War or the massacre that reached Gaza. But gradually, more and more people come to agree with our views. Ordinary people and some politicians and political groups realize that war or attack is merely a pretext for fulfilling vested interests.

Many people have stopped trusting Netanyahu and his coalition now, two and a half years after the massacre in October 2023. Many of those who changed their understanding are not politically affiliated with us. We are still like a minority today. We are still marginalized. But it is not as difficult as before. Many Israeli people are beginning to understand our anti-war stance.

Recent surveys show that 81 percent of Israeli people support the war. You are still in the minority. In such a situation, is it practical for you to influence the debate and stop the war?

Yes, we are currently in the minority. But if the war does not stop in the coming days, if war and destruction continue inside and outside Israel, we will reach a state of moving from minority to majority. As I said before, the anti-war bloc in Israel is very large. But today, it is not sufficient in itself. We are in the minority. But it will not always be so.

Our campaign is practically meaningful. Because it has some objective foundations. As the attacks increase, the casualties will increase further. In such a situation, more and more people start to stand against the war. We are certainly not capable of stopping the war right now. But we are confident that it will not always be like this.

To be precise, the American people have the power to stop the war as of today. The surveys conducted there show that the majority of people stand against the war. If they take to the streets and voice their opinions, stopping the war is possible. Furthermore, among the Republican Party supporters within the US, there is a clear public opinion against the attack. Trump is currently on the verge of the 'Midterm' elections. If the voters there express their views, the war itself might stop. Trump, like Netanyahu, has his own concerns. Therefore, they can be forced to back down due to the fear of losing the election and becoming weak.

Therefore, the key to stopping the war today lies in the hands of the American people. If they take to the streets and exert the necessary pressure on Trump and his administration, stopping the war is not difficult.