MK Ofer Cassif said he was attacked by police officers during a demonstration in Jerusalem on Friday, despite telling officers at the scene that he was a member of Knesset.
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A video circulating online showed policemen punching Cassif and wrestling him to the ground at a protest against planned evictions in east Jerusalem. One of the officers can later be seen briefly kneeling on his chest.
Cassif was left with a swollen eye and torn shirt. MK Ahmad Tibi, a fellow lawmaker from the Joint Arab List, was among those sharing the video of the scuffle on Twitter, calling it a "brutal assault" and a violation of parliamentary immunity.
Cassif denied he intentionally provoked the officers and rejected claims that he called them "Nazis."
"It didn't help that I told them I was a member of Knesset and have immunity," he said. "They beat me and broke my glasses."
One eye-witness said: [Cassif] was on the ground and the policemen hit him repeatedly even though he told them he was an MK. Even if he was a 'regular' citizen, there's no justification for such violence."
The Israel Police said in a statement that Cassif attacked the policemen, who used "reasonable force" in response and released him as soon as they identified him as a member of Knesset. Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman ordered an investigation into the incident.
Lawmakers from both political aisles condemned the police. New Hope party leader Gideon Sa'ar took to Twitter to write: "I despise the views of MK Ofer Cassif but the brutal police violence against him I consider as fierce blows to the Knesset of Israel and parliamentary immunity. Disgraceful and dangerous."
Religion Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich criticized the police as well, saying that the incident was "grave and unacceptable in a democratic state governed by the rule of law."
Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud) said, "I was appalled to see … a member of Knesset beaten by police officers. No citizen is deserving of such brutality."
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He vowed: "I will urgently speak with the public security minister [Amir Ohana] and insist that all the necessary steps are taken to hold those responsible accountable."
Joint Arab List officials demanded that the officers involved in the incident be suspended and that a full investigation be launched. "The responsibility doesn't just fall in the policemen but also on the winds blowing from the top on down against the people, protesters and MKs doing their jobs," one official said.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
