Radical left-wing activist Arik Ascherman, who is affiliated with organizations such as 'Rabbis for Human Rights' and 'Torat Tzedek,' explained his positions to Hakol HaYehudi. Even after the heinous massacre carried out by the Gaza Arabs against Israelis in the south, he states that he will continue to assist Hamas members and rejects the argument that support for Hamas and Hezbollah is a red line.
Ascherman, a Reform Rabbi, has worked for many years on behalf of radical left-wing organizations. He was arrested at the beginning of the war for allegedly harassing IDF soldiers in the Binyamin region and was issued a restraining order. However, he returned to the area after the restraining order expired.
In a conversation with Hakol HaYehudi reporter Elchanan Groner, Ascherman was asked to respond to the fact that a Palestinian Authority activist who took a 'selfie' with him expressed support for the massacre in the south. Ascherman claimed that he does not remember the activist, a senior member of the Committee Against Fences and Settlements of the PA. However, he confirmed familiarity and collaboration with the committee in general.
Groner later asked Ascherman about his ties to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)- a group of international activists who are sympathetic to Hamas and Hezbollah, and who engage in delegitimizing Israel.
Ascherman confirmed his collaboration with them and refused to admit that supporting Hezbollah and Hamas is a red line. "Even if I sit at night with someone from ISM who supports Hezbollah or Hamas, I will argue with them, but I will still bless that they are here,” he declares. "Do you not think that there is a red line when it comes to supporting Hezbollah and Hamas?" Groner asks. "I think support for the occupation is a red line," Ascherman replies.
Later in the conversation, Ascherman described the support he provided and will continue to provide to Hamas members in Judea and Samaria to realize their rights. "Even after the massacre," Ascherman noted.
Ascherman primarily operates in the Jordan Valley and eastern Binyamin but occasionally visits the southern Har Hevron region as well. Security forces and settlers suffer from his constant harassment and provocations. Last week, Hakol HaYehudi exposed a list of ISM activists operating in Judea and Samaria, working to delegitimize Israel, collaborating with extreme Israeli left-wing activists against the IDF, and spreading the false narrative of "settler violence."
