Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman on Monday submitted a bill denying terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre representation by the Public Defender’s Office.
Hundreds of Hamas terrorists infiltrated the territory of the State of Israel on October 7, more than 1200 civilians were murdered, thousands were injured, and more than 200 civilians were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. These days, Israel’s law enforcement system is faced with serious dilemmas concerning the prosecution of the participants in the 10/7 murderous attack. Will one indictment be filed against all the detainees for all the acts committed? Which offenses on the law books correspond to the atrocities? When can the death penalty be requested?
Israel’s justice ministry is considering the establishment of a special court for Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 events. Such a court could act according to existing criminal laws, military laws, or special laws the Knesset will enact to deal specifically with the criminals who carried out the massacre. One of the considerations is how to best use this opportunity to reveal the Hamas crimes against humanity to the entire world, following the example of the Nuremberg trials.
According to MK Rothman, “The public defender’s office is designed to legally protect the weak of the country. This body, which necessarily consists of citizens of the State of Israel, cannot on a moral level represent terrorists and fiercely defend them in court.”
“This bill seeks to constitutionally regulate the prevention of representation by the public defender’s office of the Hamas terrorists from the 10/7 attack,” Rothman’s bill states.
“The Public Defender’s Office is an enterprise that the State of Israel should be proud of,” said MK Rothman. “It provides relief to the weaker individuals who need legal protection. There is no justification for the State of Israel to fund, and for the Public Defender’s Office to be tainted by the representation of criminal terrorists. There is no justification for their victims to pay for their legal defense.”
Meanwhile, Israel Police, with assistance from the IDF and the Shin Bet, continue to collect evidence regarding each of the Hamas detainees: survivors’ testimonies, ZAKA personnel reports on the bodies that were removed, camera footage that was shot by the terrorists, footage from security cameras, and all other documentation from every local massacre.
