Following Stormy Debate, Knesset Advances Bill to Expel Family Members of ‘Terrorists’

The Knesset House Committee on Tuesday, October 29, passed a bill to expel from Israel family members of “terrorists” if they “knew ahead of time about [the terrorist’s] plan to commit an act of terrorism, expressed support or identified with the act of terrorism, or published praise, sympathy, or encouraged an act of terrorism.” If approved by the Knesset next week, it could become law. The bill is an amalgamation of four separate bills proposed by MKs from the far-right Likud, Yisrael Beytenu, and Otzma Yehudit parties.

Far-right MK Almog Cohen attacking MK Ofer Cassif during the House Committee meeting at the Knesset, October 29, 2024 (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The bill would give authority to the interior minister, after holding an arraignment, to expel the family member “to the territory of the Gaza Strip, or a different expulsion destination, depending on the circumstances.” The expulsion would apply for seven to 15 years for an Israeli citizen and 10 to 20 years for a noncitizen. According to the bill, the Israel Police has “all of the authorities given to it by law, including the authority to enter any place, remove from it any person, and use reasonable force to do so.”

The debate before the vote was heated, as far-right MKs who supported the bill accused MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash), who opposed the bill, of being a “terrorism supporter.” At one point, Knesset ushers had to physically stand between Cassif and MK Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) who brutally attacked the Communist lawmaker.

As Cassif entered the hearing, a woman told the Cassif that he should be “ashamed of his position,” and far-right lawmakers began shouting at Cassif, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calling him a “terrorist.” As Cassif addressed the committee, which he called a “gathering of fascists,” lawmakers screamed at him to leave and called on chairman Ofir Katz (Likud) to have him removed from the room. “Lucky you didn’t bring your pager,” one MK quipped, referring to the mass attack attributed to Israel that saw thousands of Hezbollah pagers explode on the men carrying them.”

On Tuesday, the Knesset passed into law on a measure intended to prevent the opening of consulates in Jerusalem to that are intended to service Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The bill was proposed by MKs Ze’ev Elkin (United Right) and Dan Illouz (Likud). In addition, the Israel’s parliament has voted on Monday to ban a nearly eight-decade-old United Nations agency that provides essential services for Palestinian refugees, a move that could have devastating consequences for millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The Knesset passed two bills; one barring UNRWA from activity within Israel, and another banning Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA – revoking the 1967 treaty that allows UNRWA to provide services to Palestinian refugees in areas under Israel’s control.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32197