14 mar 2018
A few years after he had left Israeli jails, following a prisoner swap deal struck between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation authorities, the health of leukemia-stricken ex-prisoner Tareq Ezzedine ( Din –Tareq Ibrahim Izz Ad) has taken a turn for the worse.
With a pale face, yellowish lips, and exhausted body, Ezzedine lies on a bed at Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi Hospital in the blockaded Gaza Strip, in a painful experience not so much dissimilar to the one he suffered behind prison bars.
Tareq Ezzedine, a member of the Quds resistance brigades in Jenin province, was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces in 2002 and sent to jail on charges of involvement in anti-occupation attacks that led to the death of 70 Israeli settlers. He was released in the historic Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal. His brother Shahed is still locked up in Israeli dungeons.
Ezzedine served as a member of the management board at Sawt al-Asra radio station in Gaza, which speaks up for Palestinian prisoners and their families in the besieged enclave.
His family and friends appealed to the concerned authorities to grant him urgent medical transfer outside of Gaza due to his exacerbated health condition, after he caught leukemia—cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. It is a type of cancer that usually begins in the bone marrow and results in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells. These white blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells.
Ezzedine has been hospitalized at Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi Hospital in Gaza. He has not received proper therapy for weeks.
The family has sounded the alarm over the deteriorating health condition of their son, whom they said has been banned by the occupation authorities from entering Occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. They added that the type of therapy Ezzedine needs is not available in Gaza’s poorly-equipped hospitals and that he needs urgent access to Egypt via Rafah border-crossing.
“Save Tareq before it is too late” calls have been launched by his friends, colleagues, and family members, pushing for urgent steps to save the ex-prisoner without further delay.
With a pale face, yellowish lips, and exhausted body, Ezzedine lies on a bed at Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi Hospital in the blockaded Gaza Strip, in a painful experience not so much dissimilar to the one he suffered behind prison bars.
Tareq Ezzedine, a member of the Quds resistance brigades in Jenin province, was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces in 2002 and sent to jail on charges of involvement in anti-occupation attacks that led to the death of 70 Israeli settlers. He was released in the historic Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal. His brother Shahed is still locked up in Israeli dungeons.
Ezzedine served as a member of the management board at Sawt al-Asra radio station in Gaza, which speaks up for Palestinian prisoners and their families in the besieged enclave.
His family and friends appealed to the concerned authorities to grant him urgent medical transfer outside of Gaza due to his exacerbated health condition, after he caught leukemia—cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. It is a type of cancer that usually begins in the bone marrow and results in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells. These white blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells.
Ezzedine has been hospitalized at Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi Hospital in Gaza. He has not received proper therapy for weeks.
The family has sounded the alarm over the deteriorating health condition of their son, whom they said has been banned by the occupation authorities from entering Occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. They added that the type of therapy Ezzedine needs is not available in Gaza’s poorly-equipped hospitals and that he needs urgent access to Egypt via Rafah border-crossing.
“Save Tareq before it is too late” calls have been launched by his friends, colleagues, and family members, pushing for urgent steps to save the ex-prisoner without further delay.
The father of the Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, held captive by Hamas in Gaza, slammed the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for dragging his feet over the family’s appeals to negotiate the release of their son.
Goldin’s father, Simcha, said in statements aired on the Israeli Channel 7 that he is deeply disappointed because of the reluctance of the Israeli leadership, most notably Netanyahu, as regards their appeals to release their captive son.
Goldin called on Netanyahu to make urgent steps so as to negotiate the release of his son, who has been held captive by Hamas after he was sent, among hundreds of other soldiers, by the Netanyahu government to engage in offensives on besieged Gaza.
The father added that Netanyahu is not entitled to show up at celebrations marking the 70’s anniversary of the establishment of the Israeli entity.
Israel arrests 1,319 Palestinians in January, February
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested 1,319 Palestinians during January and February, including 274 children and 23 women and girls, a joint report said.
Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association and the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, issued a monthly report on Tuesday on the imprisonment of Palestinians in January and February 2018.
According to the report, Israeli forces arrested 381 Palestinians from occupied Jerusalem, 233 from Ramallah and al-Bireh, 140 from al-Khalil, 133 from Jenin, 118 from Bethlehem, 107 from Nablus, 59 from Tulkarem, 54 of Qalqilya, 23 from Tubas, 20 from Salfit, 21 from Jericho and 20 from Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of 2018, Israel issued 169 administrative detention orders for imprisonment without charge or trial, including 52 new orders.
500 administrative detainees are currently held in Israeli jails, the report said.
The total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is around 6,500, including 63 women, of whom six are minor girls. There are also 350 child prisoners.
Goldin’s father, Simcha, said in statements aired on the Israeli Channel 7 that he is deeply disappointed because of the reluctance of the Israeli leadership, most notably Netanyahu, as regards their appeals to release their captive son.
Goldin called on Netanyahu to make urgent steps so as to negotiate the release of his son, who has been held captive by Hamas after he was sent, among hundreds of other soldiers, by the Netanyahu government to engage in offensives on besieged Gaza.
The father added that Netanyahu is not entitled to show up at celebrations marking the 70’s anniversary of the establishment of the Israeli entity.
Israel arrests 1,319 Palestinians in January, February
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested 1,319 Palestinians during January and February, including 274 children and 23 women and girls, a joint report said.
Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association and the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, issued a monthly report on Tuesday on the imprisonment of Palestinians in January and February 2018.
According to the report, Israeli forces arrested 381 Palestinians from occupied Jerusalem, 233 from Ramallah and al-Bireh, 140 from al-Khalil, 133 from Jenin, 118 from Bethlehem, 107 from Nablus, 59 from Tulkarem, 54 of Qalqilya, 23 from Tubas, 20 from Salfit, 21 from Jericho and 20 from Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of 2018, Israel issued 169 administrative detention orders for imprisonment without charge or trial, including 52 new orders.
500 administrative detainees are currently held in Israeli jails, the report said.
The total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is around 6,500, including 63 women, of whom six are minor girls. There are also 350 child prisoners.
8 mar 2018
The Israeli High Court on Thursday issued decision refusing to return the body of the Palestinian fisherman who was shot dead by an IOF naval patrol two weeks ago.
Israeli media sources said that the court acceded to a request from the Goldin family, whose son Hadar was captured by Hamas’ armed wing.
Following the ruling, the Goldin family said in a statement, “Beyond being a legal injunction, this is a moral order to the government of Israel to stop awarding prizes and gifts to Hamas at a time when it holds soldiers and citizens in… contravention of international law.
“It’s up to us, as a country, to change the balance once and for all — holding on to kidnapped people cannot be a bargaining chip but a burden for which the enemy must pay a price,” the family said.
Israeli media sources said that the court acceded to a request from the Goldin family, whose son Hadar was captured by Hamas’ armed wing.
Following the ruling, the Goldin family said in a statement, “Beyond being a legal injunction, this is a moral order to the government of Israel to stop awarding prizes and gifts to Hamas at a time when it holds soldiers and citizens in… contravention of international law.
“It’s up to us, as a country, to change the balance once and for all — holding on to kidnapped people cannot be a bargaining chip but a burden for which the enemy must pay a price,” the family said.
3 mar 2018
Hamas Movement rejected requests by Egyptian intelligence to disclose details about the fate of IOF soldiers captured during 2014 aggression on Gaza, Walla Hebrew website claimed on Saturday.
The group refused to provide the Egyptians with information about the missing soldiers believed to be in Gaza, according to the Walla news site.
Hamas informed Egypt it would not negotiate the matter unless Israel provided a commitment to implement all the clauses of the 2011 swap deal, in which Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, the sources added.
Earlier on Friday, Member of Hamas's Political Bureau Ezzat al-Resheq denied in an interview with al-Quds newspaper that Hamas’ delegation have discussed the issue during their visit to Cairo.
Last April, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, declared for the first time that it had captured four Israeli soldiers during Israel’s aggression in 2014, without giving any further details.
More than 2,200 Palestinians were killed in the July 2014 war in Gaza, mostly children and women, while 75 Israelis, mostly soldiers, are also thought to have been killed.
The group refused to provide the Egyptians with information about the missing soldiers believed to be in Gaza, according to the Walla news site.
Hamas informed Egypt it would not negotiate the matter unless Israel provided a commitment to implement all the clauses of the 2011 swap deal, in which Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, the sources added.
Earlier on Friday, Member of Hamas's Political Bureau Ezzat al-Resheq denied in an interview with al-Quds newspaper that Hamas’ delegation have discussed the issue during their visit to Cairo.
Last April, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, declared for the first time that it had captured four Israeli soldiers during Israel’s aggression in 2014, without giving any further details.
More than 2,200 Palestinians were killed in the July 2014 war in Gaza, mostly children and women, while 75 Israelis, mostly soldiers, are also thought to have been killed.
2 mar 2018
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper has said that Germany intends to mediate a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.
According to the newspaper, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced his intention to delegate the intelligence services in his country to contact the Hamas leadership in Gaza and explore the possibility of Germany’s mediation in a swap deal with Israel, leading to the release of five Israelis held captive in Gaza
Steinmeier talked about Germany’s readiness to broker such a swap deal a few days ago during a visit to the Valentin submarine pens in Bremen city.
He said that his country’s intelligence would make efforts in this regard but behind the scenes.
The president made this announcement after he received a letter from the families of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin asking him to help pressure Hamas to release their sons, who were classified by Israel as fallen soldiers.
According to the newspaper, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced his intention to delegate the intelligence services in his country to contact the Hamas leadership in Gaza and explore the possibility of Germany’s mediation in a swap deal with Israel, leading to the release of five Israelis held captive in Gaza
Steinmeier talked about Germany’s readiness to broker such a swap deal a few days ago during a visit to the Valentin submarine pens in Bremen city.
He said that his country’s intelligence would make efforts in this regard but behind the scenes.
The president made this announcement after he received a letter from the families of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin asking him to help pressure Hamas to release their sons, who were classified by Israel as fallen soldiers.
27 feb 2018
The Israeli Knesset on Monday evening approved by the first reading a bill that allows the Israeli occupation authorities to detain the bodies of Palestinian martyrs and ban funerals.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday reported that 57 MKs voted in favor of the bill, 11 voted against while the rest abstained.
The bill grants the Israeli police the authority to detain the bodies of martyrs and set some conditions for their release regarding the timing, the funeral procession and the place and way of burial.
Initiated by Israel's Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan and Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, the bill provides for holding the bodies of Palestinian martyrs under the pretext of fearing that their funerals might be turned into acts of "violence and incitement".
Based on the bill, the Israeli Supreme Court does not have the right to object to police orders to detain bodies of Palestinian martyrs.
The bill, which was approved by the preliminary reading on 25th January 2016, still needs to be ratified by the second and third readings to become in force.
The bill was first proposed following a Supreme Court decision to hand over the bodies of the Palestinians who carried out the al-Aqsa shooting attack in July 2017 in which two Israeli policemen were killed. The Israeli police then refused to return the bodies of the three martyrs.
Nearly 253 bodies of Palestinian martyrs have been detained by the Israeli authorities over years. Some bodies were transferred to the "cemeteries of numbers" after being held in mortuaries.
The Israeli authorities aim, through this policy, to pressure the Palestinian resistance and force it to hand over Israeli soldiers captured in the Gaza Strip.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday reported that 57 MKs voted in favor of the bill, 11 voted against while the rest abstained.
The bill grants the Israeli police the authority to detain the bodies of martyrs and set some conditions for their release regarding the timing, the funeral procession and the place and way of burial.
Initiated by Israel's Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan and Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, the bill provides for holding the bodies of Palestinian martyrs under the pretext of fearing that their funerals might be turned into acts of "violence and incitement".
Based on the bill, the Israeli Supreme Court does not have the right to object to police orders to detain bodies of Palestinian martyrs.
The bill, which was approved by the preliminary reading on 25th January 2016, still needs to be ratified by the second and third readings to become in force.
The bill was first proposed following a Supreme Court decision to hand over the bodies of the Palestinians who carried out the al-Aqsa shooting attack in July 2017 in which two Israeli policemen were killed. The Israeli police then refused to return the bodies of the three martyrs.
Nearly 253 bodies of Palestinian martyrs have been detained by the Israeli authorities over years. Some bodies were transferred to the "cemeteries of numbers" after being held in mortuaries.
The Israeli authorities aim, through this policy, to pressure the Palestinian resistance and force it to hand over Israeli soldiers captured in the Gaza Strip.
19 feb 2018
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) re-imposed on Monday the old sentence of two life sentences and 25 years against a Palestinian ex-prisoner who was released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal in 2011.
Family sources affirmed that IOA re-imposed the old sentence of the prisoner Safwan al-Aweiwi, who was re-arrested in 2014 for violating the terms of his release, although being acquitted of the charge by Ofer military court.
Speaking to Quds Press, Safwan’s mother said that her son was re-detained along with his three brothers during an Israeli revenge campaign in 2014 that was launched in response to the kidnapping and killing of three settlers in al-Khalil city.
At the time, the campaign resulted in arresting more than 60 ex-prisoners who were released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange deal in 2011.
Safwan was released in November 2011 after spending nine years of his old sentence.
The mother considered the Israeli decision as a political measure par excellence
Family sources affirmed that IOA re-imposed the old sentence of the prisoner Safwan al-Aweiwi, who was re-arrested in 2014 for violating the terms of his release, although being acquitted of the charge by Ofer military court.
Speaking to Quds Press, Safwan’s mother said that her son was re-detained along with his three brothers during an Israeli revenge campaign in 2014 that was launched in response to the kidnapping and killing of three settlers in al-Khalil city.
At the time, the campaign resulted in arresting more than 60 ex-prisoners who were released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange deal in 2011.
Safwan was released in November 2011 after spending nine years of his old sentence.
The mother considered the Israeli decision as a political measure par excellence
16 feb 2018
The Israeli occupation government gave instructions to ban West Bank families from visiting their Gazan relatives in Israeli jails.
The ban came in response to an appeal filed by the family of the Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, held captive in Gaza, to tighten grip on Gazan detainees.
The ban rules that Palestinian families living in the occupied West Bank be prevented from visiting their Gazan relatives held in Israeli lock-ups. A similar ban against families living in the Gaza Strip has already been in effect for some time.
The measure makes part of Israeli tactics to pressurize the Palestinian resistance to barter the release of Israeli captive soldiers.
Other inhumane measures adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities to crack down on Palestinian detainees include banning medical treatment and prison visits for Hamas-affiliated inmates, among other oppressive measures.
Hamas stipulates as a precondition for a projected prisoner swap deal with Israel the release of all Palestinian detainees re-arrested by the Israeli occupation authorities after they had been released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal (Shalit deal).
The ban came in response to an appeal filed by the family of the Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, held captive in Gaza, to tighten grip on Gazan detainees.
The ban rules that Palestinian families living in the occupied West Bank be prevented from visiting their Gazan relatives held in Israeli lock-ups. A similar ban against families living in the Gaza Strip has already been in effect for some time.
The measure makes part of Israeli tactics to pressurize the Palestinian resistance to barter the release of Israeli captive soldiers.
Other inhumane measures adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities to crack down on Palestinian detainees include banning medical treatment and prison visits for Hamas-affiliated inmates, among other oppressive measures.
Hamas stipulates as a precondition for a projected prisoner swap deal with Israel the release of all Palestinian detainees re-arrested by the Israeli occupation authorities after they had been released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal (Shalit deal).
14 feb 2018
Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that Israel's Shin Bet accusations that the Turkish academic Cemil Tekeli is involved in providing military assistance to Hamas are "incompatible with reality".
Spokesman for the Ministry Hami Aksoy said, "We reject the unrealistic allegations introduced by the Israeli intelligence on the basis of some statements obtained from our detained citizen under ambiguous circumstances."
The Israeli authorities on Sunday released Tekeli, who is a professor from Istanbul Medeniyet University, after detaining him for 26 days.
Tekeli, who arrived in Turkey through Istanbul Atatürk Airport, said that he was ill-treated, stripped of his clothes and held handcuffed in a very cold room.
The Shin Bet on Monday released information about the arrest of Cemil Tekeli and a Palestinian from the 1948 occupied Palestine and claimed that they were recruited by Zaher Jabarin, a senior Hamas figure who was released from Israeli jails in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal, to transfer funds to Hamas.
The Shin Bet said that Tekeli revealed during interrogation that Turkey sends large amounts of money to Hamas through SADAT company, which was established by Adnan Basha, who is closely connected to Turkish government officials, to help establish a Palestinian army to fight Israel.
Spokesman for the Ministry Hami Aksoy said, "We reject the unrealistic allegations introduced by the Israeli intelligence on the basis of some statements obtained from our detained citizen under ambiguous circumstances."
The Israeli authorities on Sunday released Tekeli, who is a professor from Istanbul Medeniyet University, after detaining him for 26 days.
Tekeli, who arrived in Turkey through Istanbul Atatürk Airport, said that he was ill-treated, stripped of his clothes and held handcuffed in a very cold room.
The Shin Bet on Monday released information about the arrest of Cemil Tekeli and a Palestinian from the 1948 occupied Palestine and claimed that they were recruited by Zaher Jabarin, a senior Hamas figure who was released from Israeli jails in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal, to transfer funds to Hamas.
The Shin Bet said that Tekeli revealed during interrogation that Turkey sends large amounts of money to Hamas through SADAT company, which was established by Adnan Basha, who is closely connected to Turkish government officials, to help establish a Palestinian army to fight Israel.
26 jan 2018
US president Donald Trump’s top peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt, on Thursday met with families of four Israelis held captive in the embattled Gaza Strip and sympathized with them.
Blatantly ignoring the suffering of hundreds of Palestinian captives in Israeli jails and their families, Greenblatt expressed complete support for the Israeli relatives’ plight and condemned the Palestinian Resistance Movement of Hamas for detaining them.
He also asked Hamas to release them immediately.
In a series of tweets, the US envoy said he had met with families of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, Israeli civilians who are believed to have crossed into Gaza of their own accord.
He also said he met with the families of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were captured in the 2014 war with Hamas.
Greenblatt met and took pictures with the families of Goldin and Shaul separately from the families of Mengistu (African) and al-Sayed (Arab).
Blatantly ignoring the suffering of hundreds of Palestinian captives in Israeli jails and their families, Greenblatt expressed complete support for the Israeli relatives’ plight and condemned the Palestinian Resistance Movement of Hamas for detaining them.
He also asked Hamas to release them immediately.
In a series of tweets, the US envoy said he had met with families of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, Israeli civilians who are believed to have crossed into Gaza of their own accord.
He also said he met with the families of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were captured in the 2014 war with Hamas.
Greenblatt met and took pictures with the families of Goldin and Shaul separately from the families of Mengistu (African) and al-Sayed (Arab).
13 jan 2018
Official human rights statistics on Saturday revealed that the number of Palestinian prisoners included in the list of the longest-serving prisoners increased to 48.
According to the statistics issued by the Studies and Documentation Unit at the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, 29 prisoners were arrested before the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 and they were supposed to be released in March 2014 under a US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli agreement.
It pointed out that 25 of the prisoners were arrested over a quarter of a century ago including 11 prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails for more than 30 years, the longest-serving of whom are Karim and Maher Younis who have been detained for 36 years now.
Some prisoners spent 20-25 years in Israeli jails, while others spent more than 30 years, in two rounds. Those are the prisoners who were re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal including Nael al-Barghouti, who spent a total of 37 years in Israel jails, and Alaa al-Baziyan, who spent nearly 35 years.
The Palestinian Commission stressed the need to keep the prisoners issue a top priority and give it more media attention.
There are 6,500 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails including 56 female prisoners, 350 children, 12 MPs and 500 administrative detainees.
According to the statistics issued by the Studies and Documentation Unit at the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, 29 prisoners were arrested before the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 and they were supposed to be released in March 2014 under a US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli agreement.
It pointed out that 25 of the prisoners were arrested over a quarter of a century ago including 11 prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails for more than 30 years, the longest-serving of whom are Karim and Maher Younis who have been detained for 36 years now.
Some prisoners spent 20-25 years in Israeli jails, while others spent more than 30 years, in two rounds. Those are the prisoners who were re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal including Nael al-Barghouti, who spent a total of 37 years in Israel jails, and Alaa al-Baziyan, who spent nearly 35 years.
The Palestinian Commission stressed the need to keep the prisoners issue a top priority and give it more media attention.
There are 6,500 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails including 56 female prisoners, 350 children, 12 MPs and 500 administrative detainees.
8 jan 2018
Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza Strip, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, addressed Leah Goldin, the mother of the Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin who is held captive at al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, by a message published on Twitter.
Al-Qassam asserted, in the tweet, that the Israeli government is hiding the truth with regards to the issue of captive Goldin and that it is lying to the family about the resolution.
Goldin went missing in clashes with al-Qassam Brigades east of Rafah during the Israeli latest aggression on Gaza. Israeli government claims that he was killed in the clashes. However, al-Qassam Brigades refrain from announcing information about him in addition to a number of other Israeli officers and soldiers who were also missed in the same aggression.
Al-Qassam asserted, in the tweet, that the Israeli government is hiding the truth with regards to the issue of captive Goldin and that it is lying to the family about the resolution.
Goldin went missing in clashes with al-Qassam Brigades east of Rafah during the Israeli latest aggression on Gaza. Israeli government claims that he was killed in the clashes. However, al-Qassam Brigades refrain from announcing information about him in addition to a number of other Israeli officers and soldiers who were also missed in the same aggression.
3 jan 2018
Israeli Knesset on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval for a bill allowing the death penalty against Palestinian attackers whose anti-occupation operations led to the death of Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Following a heated debate, the bill passed a preliminary reading. The new legislation is sponsored by the far-right party of Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu), which is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.
Under the bill, military and civil courts could sentence to death a person who was convicted of killing, with a simple majority. Israel's military law already allows the death penalty against Palestinian anti-occupation attackers but only in military court and if the entire judges in the panel reach the decision unanimously.
Israel's security system has not endorsed the new legislation as an assessment by the Shin Bet security apparatus said that such a penalty might have a counterproductive effect.
Following a heated debate, the bill passed a preliminary reading. The new legislation is sponsored by the far-right party of Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu), which is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.
Under the bill, military and civil courts could sentence to death a person who was convicted of killing, with a simple majority. Israel's military law already allows the death penalty against Palestinian anti-occupation attackers but only in military court and if the entire judges in the panel reach the decision unanimously.
Israel's security system has not endorsed the new legislation as an assessment by the Shin Bet security apparatus said that such a penalty might have a counterproductive effect.
Israeli Knesset is set to vote on Wednesday on a proposed amendment to the Penal Code to legalize the use of death penalty against the Palestinians involved in anti-occupation attacks.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said in a statement on Tuesday that the bill was presented before the Knesset by three Israeli MKs on 30th October 2017.
The amended bill stipulates that if a Palestinian is convicted of carrying out an attack that has resulted in killing Israelis, Israel's minister of war can order the military court to impose death penalty on him/her. The ruling does not require a consensus of opinion among judges but only an ordinary majority with no possibility to commute the sentence.
The Israeli MKs who filed the bill claim that releasing Palestinian detainees following a certain period of imprisonment (in reference to the prisoner exchange deals) after they have carried out "terrible attacks" will weaken Israel's deterrence capability.
The PCHR affirmed that this bill is only an attempt to legitimize the status quo and the policy of assassination and extra-judicial execution already pursued against the Palestinian citizens based on direct orders from the highest decision makers in the Israeli army.
The Palestinian Center pointed out that the proposed amendment violates Israel's obligations under Article (6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which sets certain conditions for imposing death penalty not available in the Israeli military courts.
A similar bill was rejected by the Knesset in 2015. At that time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu recommended his party's MKs not to vote on the bill saying that it needed amendments and prolonged discussions, which indicates that Netanyahu and his extremist party, Likud, accepted the bill in principle.
The PCHR warned that this Israeli move will open the door for further crimes against the Palestinian civilians and called on the United Nations and signatories to human rights conventions to work to put an end to Israel's racist policies.
According to the Israeli media, the bill is supported by a number of extremist ministers in the Israeli government including Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel, Minister of Culture Miri Regev, Minister of Science Danny Danon and Minister of Immigration Ze’ev Elkin.
The Israeli occupation authorities issued two decisions, (268) and (159), in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967 and 1968 respectively. Using death penalty, under those decisions, became optional for the judge not mandatory; therefore, it could be replaced by life imprisonment or hard labor for life.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said in a statement on Tuesday that the bill was presented before the Knesset by three Israeli MKs on 30th October 2017.
The amended bill stipulates that if a Palestinian is convicted of carrying out an attack that has resulted in killing Israelis, Israel's minister of war can order the military court to impose death penalty on him/her. The ruling does not require a consensus of opinion among judges but only an ordinary majority with no possibility to commute the sentence.
The Israeli MKs who filed the bill claim that releasing Palestinian detainees following a certain period of imprisonment (in reference to the prisoner exchange deals) after they have carried out "terrible attacks" will weaken Israel's deterrence capability.
The PCHR affirmed that this bill is only an attempt to legitimize the status quo and the policy of assassination and extra-judicial execution already pursued against the Palestinian citizens based on direct orders from the highest decision makers in the Israeli army.
The Palestinian Center pointed out that the proposed amendment violates Israel's obligations under Article (6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which sets certain conditions for imposing death penalty not available in the Israeli military courts.
A similar bill was rejected by the Knesset in 2015. At that time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu recommended his party's MKs not to vote on the bill saying that it needed amendments and prolonged discussions, which indicates that Netanyahu and his extremist party, Likud, accepted the bill in principle.
The PCHR warned that this Israeli move will open the door for further crimes against the Palestinian civilians and called on the United Nations and signatories to human rights conventions to work to put an end to Israel's racist policies.
According to the Israeli media, the bill is supported by a number of extremist ministers in the Israeli government including Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel, Minister of Culture Miri Regev, Minister of Science Danny Danon and Minister of Immigration Ze’ev Elkin.
The Israeli occupation authorities issued two decisions, (268) and (159), in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967 and 1968 respectively. Using death penalty, under those decisions, became optional for the judge not mandatory; therefore, it could be replaced by life imprisonment or hard labor for life.
1 jan 2018
The mother of Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, captured by al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, during Israel’s major 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip, has said that her son is alive.
Zehava Shaul told Yediyoth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper on Monday “As a mother, I feel deeply in my heart that my son is still alive”.
She expressed concerns over the life of her son and other Israeli captives in Gaza. She regretted staging a funeral and a 7-day consolation for her son after the tank bombing incident during 2014 summer aggression on Gaza, the mother added.
Al-Qassam Brigades announced capturing Shaul along with other Israeli soldiers during the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip. They refuse to disclose any information about the Israeli captive's conditions for no price.
Zehava Shaul told Yediyoth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper on Monday “As a mother, I feel deeply in my heart that my son is still alive”.
She expressed concerns over the life of her son and other Israeli captives in Gaza. She regretted staging a funeral and a 7-day consolation for her son after the tank bombing incident during 2014 summer aggression on Gaza, the mother added.
Al-Qassam Brigades announced capturing Shaul along with other Israeli soldiers during the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip. They refuse to disclose any information about the Israeli captive's conditions for no price.
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