Police: Likud Lawmaker Oren Hazan Could Be Indicted for Assault

There is enough evidence to indict MK Oren Hazan (Likud) on charges of assaulting a public servant and behaving inappropriately in a public place, police said Tuesday.

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All the material will now be sent to the prosecution, which will make a final decision on whether to indict.

Hazan is suspected of assaulting Avi Ezer, city manager of the West Bank settlement of Ariel, during an argument they had in October 2014. The incident took place before Hazan was elected to the Knesset, and the police investigation also began before his election. But now that he is an MK, the attorney general’s approval will be needed to move forward with the case.

The argument allegedly erupted after Hazan was slapped with a lien due to an unpaid debt to the municipality. Police were summoned to the site and took evidence from everyone present.

Hazan wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday that he is certain the attorney general will order the case closed on the grounds that no crime was committed. He also charged that the police had originally intended to close the case, but changed their minds once he was elected to the Knesset.

“I have no doubt the attorney general will make a sensible decision rather than a populist one, and won’t be influenced by the media brouhaha and the witch hunt that has been waged against me for months now,” he wrote. “This case, in which I was the first to complain, is built on a foundation of lies and political rivalry.”