MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism party sat down with Israel-National News - Arutz Sheva to discuss how the Knesset is responding to the Hamas massacre of over 1,400 Israelis and the war that resulted from the massacre
Rothman said: “I think that the most important fact in this issue is that everyone in the cabinet in, everyone in the small cabinet, in the big cabinet, in all the committees, all the government, actually everyone in the Knesset coalition and opposition are united in the need to annihilate Hamas; to make sure that the Gaza Strip is clean of weapons that are aimed at our people. We will not accept those threats, because we have all learned that threats do not stay as threats. Threats become reality and a terrible reality, as we all saw.”
MK Rothman believes that new legislation must be enacted for dealing with online incitement to terror, something that has, of course, increased in the wake of the massive terror attack [on October 7, in the communities surrounding Gaza] and has taken action: “Already on the first week of this war, I sent a letter to the chief prosecutor and had them change the regulations for investigating those kinds of offenses, including being a Hamas sympathizer. We see that many countries in the world now impose harsh punishments on people who sympathize with Hamas, or support or incite terror.
MK Rothman is happy to say that “I was supported by the chief prosecutor who answered my request and he said that he is changing the legislation. We held a hearing today in the Knesset on this issue. Everyone agreed that the number of investigations has to change, as well as the indictments based on this. Already in the first two weeks, we have had many more than in a regular year; way more offences of inciting terror.”
“I am delighted that everyone is committed. We will make sure that every citizen, every police station, will know that they need to investigate these claims as fast as possible because, incitement for terror must be dealt with efficiently, legally and as fast as possible. We have learned that time is very important. When people incite to terror, every second that the incitement is on the air and the police or the prosecution do not prosecute, this is an encouragement for the next person. That is why everyone is on the same page.”
MK Rothman was not surprised by the statement of UN Secretary-General [António Guterres], who said that Hamas' attack "did not happen in a vacuum," a remark which has been criticized for justifying the massacre. “Part of the problem that we are facing an evil just like the Nazis. In the beginning, some people did not understand the dangers of the Nazis. They justified them. But the world, the free world, was united against them at the end, and that's the way the world won the Second World War.”
MK Rothman is adamant that “We must keep this the same way. We will fight this evil. We don't have any choice, but everyone in the world should know. And whether we're talking about a university in the US, or the UN Secretary-General, or we're talking about different countries in this area, or all around the world, there is no complex view of the Nazis. Either you're with them or you're against them. You cannot be neutral. We all know what happened to countries who thought that they are neutral at the time of the Nazis.”
“We cannot accept this situation. We must be united. It's good versus evil. Choose wisely.”