Israeli bill to expel families of Palestinian militants triggers a backlash

The move is being challenged with human rights lawyers and lawmakers raising concerns.

An Israeli soldier stands next to the vehicle of a 60-year-old Palestinian man, after he was shot dead by soldiers in what the army said was an attempted car ramming attack, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (December 13, 2018).
AFP

An Israeli soldier stands next to the vehicle of a 60-year-old Palestinian man, after he was shot dead by soldiers in what the army said was an attempted car ramming attack, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (December 13, 2018).

A top Israeli human rights expert warned on Monday that Israel will likely face criminal charges at the International Criminal Court in the Hague if it approves legislation to expel the families of Palestinian militants from their homes

According to Jerusalem Post, Prof. Yuval Shany, chairman of the UN Human Rights Committee, told Army Radio that the legislation would likely be annulled by the Israeli Supreme Court but could lead to charges being brought against the country at the ICC.

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service has also warned cabinet members against adopting a bill that would allow the forced relocation of Palestinians whose relatives were convicted of attacking Israelis, Haaretz newspaper reported Monday.

According to Haaretz;  however, Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman is opposed to the bill, saying the proposed legislation could “set the West Bank alight.”

Argaman also voiced concern that the bill could harm his agency’s ability to use Israel’s policy of “administrative detention” as an instrument of investigation, as the courts could view detention as unnecessary if the forced relocation of convicts’ families is an option.

After an exhausting debate, even though attorney general objected, cabinet approved the bill before passing it on to the ministerial committee for its approval.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the right-wing Habayit Hayehudi were major players in pushing the bill to pass.

Previously, it was  illegal  to expel assailants' family members to other areas of the West Bank, unless they themselves engaged in any type of attack, however, now the bill allows the IDF Central Command chief to expel Palestinians whose relatives have been convicted of violence to be forcibly relocated within seven days from the date of the incident.

Shooting near West Bank killed 2 Israeli soldiers 

The bill’s approval comes after the shooting when a Palestinian got out of a car and opened fire at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement on Thursday, killing two Israeli soldiers before speeding away. 

Hours later, the army said it shot and killed a Palestinian man who attempted to ram his car into soldiers on a West Bank road.

Thursday's bloodshed extended a violent week that began with a shooting outside a West Bank settlement on Sunday, resulting in the death of a baby who was delivered prematurely following the weekend attack, and continued with the killing of two Palestinians.

While the West Bank experiences occasional deadly violence, often between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters, most of the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in recent months has been concentrated in the Gaza Strip, where some 175 Palestinians have been killed by border protests.


“Whoever harmed us will be held responsible” 

Speaking at a military ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "settle the score" with the attacker who killed the two soldiers. "Our guiding principle is that whoever harms us or tries to harm us will be held responsible," he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned last week’s round of violence, criticising both attacks and the tough Israeli response.
In a statement, Abbas' office accused Israel of creating a "climate" conducive to violence through its frequent military operations in Palestinian cities. He also accused Israel of incitement against him.
"This atmosphere created by the frequent Israeli raids of the cities, and the incitement against the president and the absence of the peace hopes, lead to this series of violence that both people are paying the price for," the statement said.
Facebook blocks page of Israeli PM’s son for Islamophobic statement

Facebook temporarily blocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest son, Yair's profile, after sharing a banned post on twitter, calling for "all Muslims to leave".

Facebook blocked his page for 24 hours over apparent anti-Muslim posts and Yair called the leading social network a "dictatorship”.

"Do you know where there are no attacks? In Iceland and in Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims," the prime minister's son wrote.

In another post he wrote that there were only two possible solutions for peace, either "all Jews leave (Israel) or all Muslims leave".
"I prefer the second option," he added.
His comments came after two soldiers were shot dead on Thursday at a central West Bank bus station near a settlement.

Yair Netanyahu blasted the website on Sunday for removing an earlier post in which he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israeli soldiers killed last week and calling for the expulsion of Palestinians. He shared a screenshot of the earlier post in violation of Facebook's community rules.
Facebook deleted a post by Netanyahu last week in which he said he would "prefer" if "All the Muslims leave the land of Israel."
Yairis often criticised  for  living in the premier's residence despite having no official role and benefitting from a bodyguard, a driver and other perks. They say the parents of the 27-year-old are grooming him for future political power in an attempt to establish a ruling dynasty.

Occupied West Bank
Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians claim the territories for their hoped-for state. The Palestinians want all of the territories back from Israel for a future independent state.
The last round of US-brokered peace talks between Palestine and Israel broke down couple of years ago without any progress.
Israel, however, continued to expand its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem despite international criticism from all sides including the United Nations, EU and US.

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