Law, Power, and Justice

Monday 20 November 2023

Haaretz (Israeli Newspaper)

• Drone strikes from Lebanon.
• Some 1.7 million displaced persons in Gaza.
• Netanyahu’s far-right partners insist on holding debate on implementing the death penalty for terrorism despite pleas from the families of hostages in Gaza.
• Families argued in a session of the Knesset Natil Security Committee that such legislation could endanger their loved ones.
• The bill was submitted by the Otzma Yehudit party.
• As one family member stated: “…do you think discussing the death penalty for terrorists would contribute to his return from Gaza?”
• “…we are not in a computer game, these people will only return through negotiations.”  He continued.
• According to the IDF, two bodies of hostages were found near the Al-Shifa Hospital.
• A video from inside the hospital appeared to show Israelis being led and dragged through the hospital.
• Ben-Gvir (who introduced the legislation) argued that the legislation “promotes the return” of hostages.
• Photos were taken of Ben-Gvir hugging the representative for the hostage families, Dickmann.  One of these photos was later used by Ben-Gvir.  Dickmann accused the far-right parties and Ben-Gvir of “making a circus about the blood of our families.”

“Israel’s Deadly Complacency Wasn’t Just an Intelligence Failure.  Uri Bar-Joseph, in Haaretz. (11/11/23)

• Israelis in the communities near the Gaza border heard Hamas training but the army disregarded their warnings and “curtailed their surveillance capabilities.”
• Army spotters (largely female) detected suspicious digging, but superiors (largely male) claimed it was for farmwork.