Bill to ban Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners fails as Haredim boycott vote

Coalition chief reportedly asked opposition MKs not to vote against measure but was rebuffed; Ben Gvir feuds with Shas as he rails at the ultra-Orthodox party for boycotting vote

The Knesset on Monday voted down a bill to ban Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners in its first reading, after Haredi parties boycotted the vote.

The bill was supported by 36 MKs and opposed by 41. Haredi lawmakers have been boycotting coalition votes in protest over its failure to pass bills that are key to their own agenda.

The proposal now cannot be brought to a vote again for the next six months, meaning another vote will not be held before general elections that must be held by late October.

Far-right National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who has authority over the Israel Prison Service and repeatedly boasted of the harsh conditions he has imposed on Palestinian detainees and prisoners, lashed out at the Haredi Shas party for boycotting the vote, blaming its leader Aryeh Deri for the bill’s failure to advance.

“Thanks to you the Nukba will be rewarded with Red Cross visits in prison,” Ben Gvir wrote on X, referring to the Hamas commando force. “How can you sleep at night?” Shas hit back by saying that Israelis want “security in the streets, not tweets.”

Due to the ultra-Orthodox boycott, coalition whip Ofir Katz sent a letter to opposition lawmakers urging them not to vote against the bill, but was rebuffed, the Ynet news site reported.

The legislative attempt came after the High Court earlier this month ruled to annul the government policy prohibiting Red Cross visits, stating that it is not supported by Israeli or international law.

The government had imposed a blanket ban on Red Cross visits following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led atrocities, a move that human rights groups later petitioned. The court gave the state numerous extensions during the course of the case, and previously appeared reluctant to rule on what was an explosive issue due to the ongoing captivity of the Israeli hostages.

The court noted in its ruling that the central justification by the government for its ban was previously that the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were being denied Red Cross visits, but that this no longer applies, given that the last hostages were released in October of last year.