Who are Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif? Two Israeli MPs removed from parliament for disrupting Trump’s speech

Two leaders were removed from the Israeli parliament house for interrupting President Donald Trump’s speech to the Knesset on Monday. The lawmakers, identified as Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif, displayed a poster reading ‘recognise Palestine’ amid the speech. Reports suggest that signs reading ‘genocide’ were also displayed during the speech.

In response to the brief interruption, US President Donald Trump said, "That was efficient." The incident unfolded while Donald Trump was in Israel addressing the parliament house amid the release of Israeli hostages by Palestinian militant outfit Hamas, and a breakthrough came with the two-year-long Gaza war coming to a halt.

Who is Ayman Odeh?

Born in 1975 in Haifa’s Kababir neighbourhood, Israel, Ayman Odeh comes from a modest background, and his father was a construction worker. Though his family largely followed the Ahmadiyya faith, his Sunni Muslim parents enrolled him in a Christian school, where he excelled academically. Over time, Odeh described himself as an atheist, saying he had “transcended the confines of religion and ethnicity.”

He pursued law at the University of Craiova in Romania between 1993 and 1997, where he actively participated in pro-Palestinian movements and developed a deep interest in political thought. After earning his Bachelor of Laws degree, he qualified to practise law in Israel in 2001. Odeh met his wife, gynaecologist Nardine Aseli, in 2000, and they married five years later. The couple has three children.

Political journey of Ayman Odeh

Odeh began his political journey with the Hadash party, serving on the Haifa City Council from 1998 to 2005 and later becoming the party’s secretary-general. After Hadash leader Mohammed Barakeh stepped down, Odeh took over leadership in 2015. That year, he played a key role in forming the Joint List, an alliance of major Arab parties, and led it to significant success in the Knesset elections. Analysts praised his pragmatic and inclusive approach, which helped reshape Arab political representation in Israel.

Odeh has championed social reforms, focusing on women’s employment, infrastructure development, and reducing violence in Arab communities. He supports Jewish self-determination while advocating the same right for Palestinians. Known for his calm, cooperative tone, he often cites Martin Luther King Jr. as an influence.

In recent years, Odeh faced political backlash for comments following the 2023 Gaza war ceasefire, including a statement that “Gaza has won.” Though a petition was filed to expel him from the Knesset in 2025, it ultimately failed to meet the required vote threshold.

Who is Ofer Cassif?

Ofer Cassif, a left-wing Israeli politician from the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, has long been known for his outrageous and dissenting views. Born in Rishon LeZion near Tel Aviv on December 25, 1964, Cassif earned a doctorate in political philosophy from the London School of Economics and later served as an academic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He has been a member of the Israeli Knesset for nearly five years, representing Hadash, the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. Cassif’s defiance of mainstream Israeli politics dates back decades. In the late 1980s, he served jail time for refusing to perform military service in the occupied Palestinian territories, reflecting his pro-Palestinian and communist stance. In 2021, he alleged that police assaulted him during a protest against an illegal Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.

Before entering parliament, Cassif made headlines for his fierce criticism of Israeli leaders—once calling then-Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked “neo-Nazi scum.” Though the Central Elections Committee initially barred him from running in the 2019 elections, the Supreme Court overturned the decision, allowing his election to the Knesset as Hadash-Ta’al secured around 4.5 per cent of the vote and six seats.

Cassif has continued to challenge Israeli government policies, particularly regarding the occupation of Palestinian territories. Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, he described the Israeli government as “fascist” and accused it of ethnic cleansing and pogroms against Palestinians. These remarks led to a 45-day suspension from the Knesset, which he condemned as a blow to political freedom.

In 2024, Cassif faced another six-month suspension for signing a petition urging the International Court of Justice to indict Israel and for labelling Palestinians fighting Israeli forces as “freedom fighters.” In July 2025, he was again suspended for two months, marking yet another clash between his political activism and parliamentary discipline.