The paper cited the explanatory notes of the original draft which stated that the purpose of this bill was “to strengthen the tools available to the state to counter hostile elements”.
The Israeli parliament has passed a law prohibiting the entry of any non-Israeli citizens into the country if they or the organizations they represent have denied the October 7 attack or the Holocaust, or “have supported the international prosecution” of Israeli soldiers, Haaretz reported.
The law passed “its third and final reading” in the Knesset plenum by 12 votes to nil on Wednesday evening, according to the Times of Israel.
It extends an amendment ratified in 2017 “which barred the issuance of visas and residence permits of any kind to non-citizens or non-permanent residents of Israel if they or their affiliated organization called for a boycott of Israel,” the Haaretz report noted.
‘Hostile Elements’
The paper cited the explanatory notes of the original draft which stated that the purpose of this bill was “to strengthen the tools available to the state to counter hostile elements operating from within or outside Israeli-controlled territory, who seek to harm the state, its citizens, its officials, its security, its foreign relations, and its trade ties.”
In addition, it said that the “legal tools currently available are limited and insufficient to address additional hostile actions,” Haaretz reported.
In the so-called “Only Democracy in the Middle East”, Knesset advances bill imposing up to five years in jail for ISRAELIS cooperating with ICC https://t.co/opkFHjGE2R
— Munther Isaac منذر اسحق (@MuntherIsaac) February 19, 2025
New Hope MK Mishel Buskila, who sponsored the legislation, reportedly said “Israel, like any other country in the world, must defend itself, its citizens, soldiers, and national identity.”
“Those who attempt to undermine our very existence, deny the horrors of the past, or harm our soldiers and citizens, have no place among us,” Bushkila is quoted by the Times of Israel as saying.
ICC Targeted
Haaretz said that earlier on Wednesday, a preliminary reading of a bill was approved that bars “citizens, authorities, and public entities from ‘cooperating with’” the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The proposal stated that anyone “‘providing services to the court in The Hague or making resources available to it,’ could face up to five years in prison unless they ‘prove they were unaware that their actions were for the court’s activities.’”
It also states that the ICC “would not be allowed to own property or assets in Israel or conduct any economic activity without obtaining permission.”
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Haaretz noted that according to the explanatory notes, Israel does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The court’s activities, therefore, “pose a significant threat to the State of Israel and all those acting on its behalf or in its service,” the report noted.
In November last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
