MK Nurit Koren
MK Nurit KorenHezki Baruch

MK Nurit Koren (Likud) on Wednesday commented on the approval in a preliminary reading of the bill on the expulsion of the families of terrorists, saying it is an extremely important bill.

"This is the most important deterrent. The family of the terrorist should know that it is not immune and prevent its children from launching terrorist attacks instead of thinking about the money they will receive from the Palestinian Authority,” Koren told Arutz Sheva.

Asked about the Attorney General’s opposition to the bill, she said that it is his right to present his position on the issue, but the Knesset is the sovereign power which will ultimately decide whether or not to enact the law. Should the Supreme Court intervene and ask that the law be cancelled, it should be put in its place, opined Koren. "We will say to the Supreme Court: ‘Please mind your own business.’”

"This is a very important law," continued Koren, rejecting the allegations that the legislation constituted collective punishment. "The expulsion of the families of the terrorists was carried out in the past by the governments of Israel, and even by the Rabin government, so we can do it as well to create deterrence. We’ve had enough and it’s time for us to stop being told what to do about security-related matters. There is a sovereign power here and it will decide."

The 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 on Wednesday, passing by a margin of 69 to 38.

If it is approved in three readings, 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.

Unsurprisingly, the bill was blasted by MK Hanin Zoabi (Joint List), who called terrorists "freedom fighters."

"The collective punishment of family members of Palestinian freedom fighters, with or without a legal process, constitutes a war crime as well as a moral offense," Zoabi tweeted.

"The Hague is waiting, and we have to do everything in order for the real criminals to be tried," she added.

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