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“It’s over. Terrorists will no longer see a shekel from the State of Israel. We are rectifying a huge absurdity today,” said MK Ofir Katz, the bill’s sponsor.
By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel
Israeli Knesset members on Monday approved a bill that denies National Insurance benefits to persons convicted of terrorist offenses.
The bill passed with 38 MKs in favor and one opposed.
The bill proposes “to revoke permanently all benefits awarded by force of the National Insurance Law to a person convicted of murder or attempted murder under terrorist circumstances, or of a serious terrorist offense, a treason offense or serious espionage, who has been sentenced to at least 10 years’ imprisonment,” according to the Knesset.
In addition, income support allowances, which are paid under a separate law, will also be revoked permanently from a person who has been convicted of murder or attempted murder with terrorist intent.
MK Ofir Katz (Likud), the bill’s sponsor, commented, “It’s over. Terrorists will no longer see a shekel from the State of Israel. We are rectifying a huge absurdity today. The bill is intended to put an end to one of the moral failings in the State of Israel.
“Terrorists receive money from us—from the State of Israel. The first place they go toafter their release is the National Insurance Institute,” he explained. “This is not a mistake; it is lunacy that has spun out of control,” he continued.
“These people made a conscious decision to murder Jews. They harmed the State of Israel. When you’re an enemy—you won’t receive a budget from the state that you are trying to ruin. In what other country has such a thing been heard? This is outrageous and unacceptable, and today it ends,” he concluded.
The explanatory notes to the bill state: “Given the terrorist threats faced by the State of Israel—including those that materialized in the events of October 7, 2023, and the threats that are mounting in light of the release of security prisoners within a deal for release of Israeli hostages—the bill is intended to denounce the perpetrators of terrorism by revoking their eligibility to receive benefits under the National Insurance Law and the Income Support Law.”
Also, these benefits “are paid based on a concept of mutual responsibility between the citizens and residents of the State of Israel, which is harmed by the acts of terrorism.”
The bill “is further intended to deter potential terrorists from involvement in acts of terrorism and thereby to protect human lives and the security of the state’s citizens and residents.”
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