Israel: Law allows police to hold Palestinian bodies indefinitely

A controversial bill allowing police to hold indefinite bodies of Palestinians allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis has been approved by the Knesset, according to a statement issued today.

The law was passed late yesterday with 48 votes in favor and 10 against in the Israeli parliament. A few hours earlier, another bill was passed that allows the interior minister to revoke the permanent residence permit of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem if they are "involved in terrorist acts."

Following the wave of violence that erupted in October 2015, the Israeli government had announced that it would not allow the return of the bodies of Palestinians to their families who were killed during attacks on Israelis.

According to the Muslim ritual, the bodies should be buried as soon as possible after death.

In November 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would not repatriate the bodies of five Palestinians killed when the army blew up a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. The purpose was to use them as a bargaining chip for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed during the 2014 war in Gaza and held by Hamas.

However, the Israeli Supreme Court in December ruled that the practice was illegal and gave the government six months to submit a new bill.

The amended law passed last night by two lawmakers from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party gives local police chiefs the power to "determine the conditions for the return of a terrorist's body," according to a Knesset statement.

If the commander decides that a funeral may trigger another attack or be an excuse for violence, he or she may impose restrictions on the time, location or number of attendees at the funeral and the body "may be kept until the family agrees with the terms ", the announcement adds.

Source