MK Oren Hazan (Likud) is widely considered the Knesset jester – much of it because of his penchant for the theatrics, particularly when successfully taunting the Knesset’s anti-Zionist contingent or taking an unexpected selfie with President Trump, and there’s also his resume, which includes managing a Bulgarian casino with all the trimmings that such sketchy establishments might involve.
Hiding behind the banter though, is an ideologically committed politician who is not afraid to address the issues head on, in his own manner.
Hazan is a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where this week he submitted a bill to amend the Penal Law, which aims to provide legal protection to those who carry out a killing verification in the course of a terror attack.
According to the bill, within the framework of the restrictions on criminal responsibility, another justification will be added to the act of manslaughter in order to save a human life against a person who is considered to be a danger to human life while or close to dealing with an act of terror or a terrorist incident.
MK Hazan explained that “there is a lot of talk about the death penalty for terrorists, but the more difficult and acute problem we face—especially since the Elor Azaria affair—is the hesitation of security forces and ordinary citizens to carry out the protocol of verifying the killing of a terrorist, even when [failing to carry out the protocol] may lead to a completely unnecessary risking of additional human lives.”
The reason for this hesitation, according to Hazan, is “due to the fear that this could lead to their criminal prosecution.”
“In order to prevent the ‘Azaria effect’ that causes security forces and civilians to hesitate to take swift action against terrorists in a terror attack, hesitation that can harm the lives or lives of others – they should be released from criminal liability under these circumstances,” said MK Hazan.
Over the weekend there was much criticism of an IDF soldier who shot through a window at the Arab terrorist who had just murdered three Jews in Halamish, Judea and Samaria, but opted to shoot only once, neutralizing but not killing the attacker. While praising the soldier’s courage, some suggested his decision to spare the killer’s life was driven by fear of prosecution.