Israeli sources reported Monday night that the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee passed a controversial bill that would significantly reduce the rights of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.
The approved bill will not submitted to the Knesset plenum for a second and third readings. It was approved by the committee by a six to three vote.
Under the term of the newly passed bill, Israeli security forced will be authorized “within the law” to hold detainees posing a security threat for 96 hours without bringing them before a judge for legal preceding.
If the bill passes the second and third readings, Israeli courts will be authorized to extend the detention for another 20 days under absentia.
Human rights groups in Israel slammed the bill, saying it would eliminate the safeguards needed to protect the basic human rights of the detainees. The Israel Bar Association and the Public Defender’s Office also publicly object to the bill.
Israel’s Justice Ministry, which drafted the bill after strong urging by the Shin Bet security service, argued that this bill will “prevent attacks from Gaza following the end of Israel’s military rule there”.
