Ofer Cassif is an Israeli politician, academic, and radical activist. He currently serves as a Member of the Knesset (MK) representing Hadash (The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality).
Before entering politics, Cassif was a distinguished academic pioneer. He holds a PhD in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics (LSE) and taught for many years at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on Marxist theory, nationalism, and the political philosophy of ethnic conflict. As a long-time organizer within Hadash, he has worked to dissolve ethnic boundaries and build a democratic front based on Jewish-Arab equality. In the Knesset, he is a staunch defender of civil rights, labor rights, and an opponent of discriminatory legislation, regarded as a rare intellectual force capable of directly challenging the Zionist consensus from within the parliament.
Cassif’s stance is profoundly provocative within mainstream Israeli politics. He openly identifies as an “anti-Zionist” and maintains that Palestinian liberation is a prerequisite for true Jewish safety. In early 2024, he faced a rare impeachment attempt in the Knesset after publicly supporting South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He has firmly stated: “My responsibility is to the truth, not to a corrupt regime. The occupation is a cancer eroding the foundations of our society. Supporting the Palestinian right to exist and to self-determination is not only a matter of justice but a necessity to save Israel from a moral catastrophe of its own making. Without peace, there is no human dignity.” He consistently calls for international pressure on Israel to end military operations and advocates for a solution based on full equality, whether through a two-state or a single democratic state.