Almagor head Meir Indor
Almagor head Meir IndorIsrael news photo: Yoni Kempinski

The head of the Almagor organization for the rights of terror victims and their families, Meir Indor, has released a statement attacking the Supreme Court's decision to proceed with tonight's scheduled terrorist releases in the strongest terms. 

Indor stated, "All the red lines have been crossed this time - the release of cold-blooded killers. The bereaved families and the Almagor organization believed that the Israeli Supreme Court, which intervened just this month when it came to an explicit law, for the good of African refugees, and stood up to the government, would intervene here as well."

"The High Court has proved tonight that the bereaved families and terror victims are worth next to nothing in their eyes, and they have folded the banner of justice... in the face of terror organizations." 

Supreme Court Justices Miriam Naor, Edna Arbel, and Daphne Barak-Erez rejected a petition from Almagor aimed at stopping the release, allowing for 26 convicted terrorists to be released in Judea and Samaria and Gaza to Palestinian Arab families and influence. The Justices stated that the government has the authority to determine the appropriateness for release of each of the prisoners, and that "it has been this way in the past and so it is in this case." 

The Court also rejected the argument that the release violates the conclusions of the 1995 Shamgar Commission. The Commission "dealt with the issue of releasing prisoners in the case of Israeli kidnappings [. . .] not in the context of international negotiations," the court ruled.

The controversial decision has inspired last-ditch efforts to prevent the terrorist transfer, including a protest by activists blocking the transfer route on Route 443.