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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

Knesset rejects proposed bill aimed at preventing Red Cross from visiting Palestinian detainees

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The Knesset rejected a bill that would have prevented the International Red Cross from visiting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers.
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir supported the bill, citing the lack of Red Cross visits to Israeli hostages, but coalition boycotts led to its failure.
  • The High Court of Justice had previously ruled a ban on Red Cross visits unlawful, finding no coherent legal basis for it.

The Knesset on Monday rejected a proposed bill that sought to prohibit representatives of the International Red Cross from visiting Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention centers. The bill, which had passed its first reading, was removed from the Knesset's agenda after failing to secure enough votes, with 36 in favor and 42 against.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a proponent of the legislation, described it as "correct and important." He drew a parallel to Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, noting they did not receive visits from the Red Cross. Ben-Gvir blamed the bill's failure on a boycott by Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, who were retaliating for delays in passing Haredi-favored legislation. He argued that voting against the bill was akin to supporting Hamas terrorists and that disrupting the legislative agenda would harm Israel's national security.

correct and important

— Itamar Ben-GvirDescribing the proposed bill aimed at preventing Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners.

However, the Shas party clarified its support for preventing Red Cross visits to prisoners but stated they could not vote for the proposal until after the approval of the Basic Law on Torah Study. The proposed bill's explanatory statement cited "the security risk involved in the entry of external elements into prisons" as justification. It aimed to prevent Red Cross representatives from entering prisons and detention facilities as defined by the Law on the Imprisonment of Unlawful Combatants.

This legislative effort followed a significant ruling by the High Court of Justice on June 3. The court unanimously accepted a petition against Israel's previous ban on Red Cross visits, declaring the ban unlawful. The ruling, issued by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, and Justice Daphne Barak-Erez, found that despite acknowledged security sensitivities, the state had failed to present a coherent legal basis for the ban.

the security risk involved in the entry of external elements into prisons

— Explanatory statement for the proposed billStating the reason for the bill's proposal to restrict Red Cross access.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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