MK Hanin Zoabi (Joint List) harshly criticized the bill on the expulsion of the families of terrorists which passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset today, Wednesday, and called terrorists "freedom fighters."
"The collective punishment of family members of Palestinian freedom fighters, with or without legal process, constitutes a war crime as well as a moral offense," Zoabi wrote on her Twitter account.
"The Hague is waiting, and we have to do everything in order for the real criminals to be tried."
The ‘Expulsion Bill’, which would empower the IDF’s Central Command chief to authorize the expulsion of relatives of terrorists responsible for attacks against Israel, went up for a preliminary vote before the Knesset plenum Wednesday, passing by a margin of 69 to 38.
If passed, the chief of the IDF’s Central Command would be able to order relatives of terrorists to be expelled from their homes within seven days of a terror attack, and sent to a different area within Judea and Samaria.
MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home), who drafted the bill, said the move was needed to restore Israel’s deterrence against terrorism.
“Deterrence is the bedrock of Israel’s security, a means of reducing terror attacks and saving lives while preserving law and order.”
The Knesset voted on the bill following a string of terror attacks in Judea and Samaria, most of them perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization.