The National Security Council revealed that the Israeli government does not have the authority to decide on the destination to which terrorists released in exchange deals will be deported.
This statement was made in response to a request by Avraham Weisman, the father of Sergeant Yanai Weisman, who was murdered in a terrorist attack in 2016. Weisman requested that the terrorists who murdered his son be deported to the Gaza Strip rather than to foreign countries, to prevent them from enjoying benefits abroad.
In response provided by Attorney Adam Wolfson, legal advisor to the National Security Council, it was stated that "the government's decision that approved the outline for the release of Israeli hostages included, among other things, a condition stipulating that their release could be either to the Gaza Strip or abroad. This condition does not include a mechanism for determining the destination to which the terrorist will be transferred - the Gaza Strip or abroad. Therefore, unfortunately, the request cannot be accommodated."
He further added: "Since within the government decision that approved the outline for returning Israeli hostages, no mechanism was set in which the government was granted the authority to determine the destination to which the terrorist is transferred, those making the decisions regarding the destination of the transfer are not entities within the Israeli government."
Attorney Haim Bleicher of the Honenu organization, representing Avraham Weisman, stated: "It is shocking to discover that the State of Israel releases murderous terrorists without control over the destination to which they are released. The pain of the bereaved families over the release of the murderers of their loved ones is unbearable, and the knowledge that the murderous terrorist will be able to enjoy foreign luxuries keeps them sleepless. The basic demand from the Israeli government is to ensure this."