Yisrael Beytenu lawmaker slams decision to grant Hamas prisoners privileges such as TVs and extra money
Palestinian prisoners
An Israeli lawmaker submitted draft legislation on Wednesday that would take away certain privileges from Palestinian security prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
Oded Forer, from the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, demanded the government cancel recent improvements to jail conditions for prisoners from the Gaza-based Hamas terror group.
According to Israel’s Channel 2, the proposal seeks to ban Palestinians prisoners convicted on terror charges from privileges such as televisions and video consoles in their cells, having visitors, purchasing extra food at the canteen, and receiving money from outside sources into their bank account.
“The time has come for terrorists in prison to stop living as if they are at day camp and start living as if they are in prison,” Forer said in a statement.
“It is unjust that while terror victims and their families pay such a heavy price and live with such great suffering, the terrorists who put them in that position play computer games in prison and enjoy educational and recreational activities,” he added.
Israel has come under criticism in the past for the way it treats Palestinian security prisoners.
A UN panel recently released a report saying that the use of solitary confinement in Israeli jails nearly doubled between 2012 and 2014.
In its first review of Israel since 2009, the UN committee against torture questioned an Israeli delegation over multiple reports of potentially illegal conduct by security agents, especially with respect to Palestinian prisoners.
Lead questioner Jens Modvig said the UN committee had “received reports that the use of solitary confinement in Israeli jails has doubled between 2012 and 2014”, with the number of people held in isolation jumping from 390 to 755 over the period.
Committee members, who typically do not visit the countries subject to review, compile their statistics largely from data provided by civil society groups and independent reports… Full article at i24news
