Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunday, gave instructions to his ministers to vote against the bill which allows execution of Palestinian prisoners, saying that he opposed it. The order came during Netanyahu’s meeting with the Likud party ministers. According to the Hebrew broadcast, the bill might be discussed three months later, to find a “solution.”
MK Sharon Gal from the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, was scheduled to present the new bill to the Knesset on Sunday. The law would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners and assailants in Israeli jails charged with “crimes over national backgrounds.”
According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), the law was predicted to gain support of the Likud party, since 5 out of 10 members in its committee have showed support to it, alongside the Jewish home party.
In order to pass, the bill needs to gain vote of the majority of MKs, and will be passed in the government and go through three readings before the Knesset.
A similar bill was previously presented, but was immediately slaughtered due to protests by human-rights organizations and fears of “distorting the image of Israel.”
According to a report broadcasted on Hebrew Channel 2, Thursday, the proposed law raises many disagreements in the Israeli political arena.
Israeli forces, in the past three months, have killed 12, injured 317 and arrested approximately 1118 Palestinians. The soldiers often shoot dead any Palestinian assailant on the spot, in case they attempt to attack any Israeli settler or soldier.
Last week, 17 year-old Mohammed Al-Kasaba was shot dead by soldiers as he attempted to climb the apartheid wall near Qalandia and attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Despite the decision to open an investigation into the shooting, the Israeli officer who killed Al-Kasaba enjoys the support of the IOF on a political level. This was confirmed by a senior official in the region who visited the site of al-Kasaba’s shooting and expressed his support for the Israeli officer involved.
Before Al-Kasaba, Ayoub Abu Rumaila (21) was shot and wounded by occupation forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint, in the road between Ramallah and East Jerusalem.
Other than the direct killings by Israeli soldiers, Israel often demolishes the homes of Palestinian assailants, withdraws residency papers and IDs from their families who are threatened with administrative detention at any moment.
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