Occupied Jerusalem -

The Israeli Knesset approved, at dawn on Tuesday, in the first reading, 3 laws targeting Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, increasing racist practices against Palestinians in 1948, and also affecting the basic rights of the Palestinian people, by expanding the powers of the occupation army and police in order to achieve “security objectives.” nationalism of Israel.

The idea of ​​enacting these laws was crystallized after what was known as the “gift of dignity” last May in support of Jerusalem and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and after the escape of 6 Palestinian prisoners from Gilboa prison last September.

These laws also came after the failure of the Israeli police to combat violence and the spread of weapons and crime in the Arab community at home, as the death toll from Arabs - 48 Palestinians - since the beginning of 2021 until today has reached 105, including 15 women.

In essence, these laws enjoy an Israeli party consensus, but the split in voting and approving them by one vote, reflects the state of confusion in the Israeli political scene.

These laws come within a frantic race between the Israeli parties and their internal struggles to lead the right-wing camp, by installing the government coalition headed by Naftali Bennett or trying to bring down the government and heading to parliamentary elections in order to restore Benjamin Netanyahu to the prime ministerial seat.

48 Palestinians in demonstrations condemning racism and the crimes of the occupation against them (Al-Jazeera)

Intrusion without orders

The intensification of the internal conflict in the Israeli right-wing camp accelerated the enactment of more racist and discriminatory laws against the Palestinians.

Under the pretext of combating violence and crime and the loss of control over internal security in light of the chaos of arms in Arab towns, the Knesset approved a law allowing the Israeli police to conduct searches without a court order, as applied in accordance with criminal law regulations.

The amendment to the Criminal Law, initiated by Minister of Justice Gideon Sa'ar, and approved by a majority of 60 and opposed by 58 Knesset members, allows the Israeli police and the occupation army to storm Arab homes and grant them the power to search them without a court order.

Under the pretext of preserving “national security” and promoting Israeli security objectives, a clause was approved allowing the Israeli army to send reinforced special forces to the police, the Prime Minister’s office and the ministries, in the context of performing civilian tasks according to what the law called “serving national security objectives,” provided that work is completed. with this law until the end of 2024.


Strengthening the repression of prisoners

In the context of revenge against the prisoners after the escape from Gilboa prison, according to Prime Minister Bennett's statement, a new legal amendment provides for strengthening the prison service with soldiers from the Israeli army, under the "Security Services" law.

The amendment to the law aims to tighten the screws on Palestinian prisoners, legitimize their oppression, and deprive them of their most basic rights. It was approved by a majority of 60 members to 59, as the Joint Arab List opposed it, while the United List and Arab representatives in Israeli parties supporting the government coalition headed by Bennett supported it. .

Under Clause No. (9) of the Security Services Law, the powers of work will be expanded by an order allowing the prison service to be reinforced with soldiers from combat units and members of the IDF reserve units, provided that these amendments are implemented until the end of December 2024.

Lawyer Fouad Soltani: The new laws come in retaliation against the prisoners and to intimidate the Palestinians inside (Al-Jazeera)

No oversight or legal reference

A member of the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Center (Adala), lawyer Fouad Soltani, reviewed the aim of the amendments to the laws that affect the Palestinians of 48 and rob them of their basic rights, and cover up the inaction of the Israeli police with organized crime gangs and the chaos of arms.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Soltani warned of the repercussions of the amendments to the criminal law under the pretext of "fighting violence and crime" in Arab towns, noting that this would unleash the police by storming Arab homes, institutions and shops without a court order and without any oversight or legal reference.

The lawyer does not rule out the possibility of using the amendment of the Penal Code in order to take revenge on and terrorize Arab citizens, whether because of their political stances or their societal activism and national activities, so that Arab towns and homes will be stormed according to the mood and whims of the police.

Soltani said that the Arab minority inside (the territories occupied in 1948) does not originally trust the Israeli police, which treats the 48 Palestinians as enemies, as 70 young people have been killed since the second intifada (in 2000) with bullets, without bringing its members involved in the killing to trial.

Soltani questioned the feasibility and efficacy of the legal amendments in stopping the killings in Arab towns, or stopping the chaos of arms in them, as the number of unlicensed weapons is estimated at half a million.

He stressed that "these amendments expand the powers of the police to target Arabs not only in the public sphere, but also in the private sphere and violate their privacy and the sanctity of their homes under the pretext of combating violence and crime."

But at the same time, Soltani says that these laws come in the context of internal conflicts within the right-wing parties, and are passed with the support of the United List deputies and Arab Knesset members from Israeli parties, "which constitutes a slap to the 48 Palestinians and a stab in the back for the prisoners."

A protest pause in the town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye inside the Palestinian territories, denouncing the sanctification of Palestinian blood and Israeli racist legislation


(Al-Jazeera)

The responsibility of the Arab parties

The approval of these laws and the initiation of controversial bills reflect the political behavior of the Arab parties that participate in the Israeli Knesset elections and the behavior of Arabs at home who do not boycott them, according to the activist in the national movement, journalist and writer Suleiman Abu Irsheid.

Abu Irsheed explained to Al Jazeera Net, that what we are witnessing of rivalry, division and Arab support for this or that Israeli camp, is not the result of the recent parliamentary elections, and that the one who split this approach was the Joint List since its first launch in 2015.

The activist in the national movement believes that the joint side neglected the Palestinian cause at the expense of the discourse of "immediate achievements", an approach that all Arab parties represented in the Knesset dealt with, stressing the need for a unanimous Arab leadership to set out to curb the approach of the United Arab List, and its absolute support for the government coalition.

Irsheed believes that the approach of the United and the Joint - the two Arab lists in the Knesset - and the willingness to make concessions in exchange for the downfall of Benjamin Netanyahu or support for the government coalition headed by Naftali Bennett, has created a situation that is being exploited now by legislating controversial and even racist and discriminatory laws against the Palestinian people, with the approval of some Arabs in the Knesset.