Livnat freezes ‘Barghouti Law’
Following charged meeting with parents of kidnapped soldiers, Likud MK Limor Livnat decides to put on hold bill calling for any prisoner exchange deal reached by the government to be approved by Knesset
Although earlier in the day Livnat insisted she would not withdraw the bill, despite opposition from the parents of the IDF soldiers being held hostage by Hizbullah and Hamas, Livnat apparently caved after meeting with the families.
Livnat’s office released a statement Tuesday night saying, “Following Limor Livnat’s meetings with the kidnapped soldiers’ families, and according to their request that negotiations for the soldiers’ release be exhaustive, Livnat has decided to freeze the bill despite its importance, to avoid hurting the feelings and hopes of the captives’ families.”
The parents of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, kidnapped by Hizbullah in a cross-border attack this summer, and Gilad Shalit, being held hostage by Hamas, arrived at the Knesset Tuesday for a debate on UN Resolution 1701. Today marked six months since the approval of the resolution which established a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah.
During their Knesset visit, the families urged Knesset members to vote against Livnat’s proposed law to predicat any prisoner exchange on the approval of at least 80 Knesset members.
The bill was apparently intended to prevent the release of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, and was thus dubbed the “Barghouti Law”.
“Livnat’s proposed law raises fears that the decision-makers’ hands will be tied the moment they reach the stage of making a final deal,” Shlomo Goldwasser said.
Earlier Livnat explained the motivation behind her proposed law. Security prisoners should not be easily released, she argued, because statistics showed that many former detainees returned to perpetrate terror attacks after being freed from prison.
Moreover, “The release of terrorists legitimizes additional kidnappings, and we cannot have a hand in that. However, it’s important for me to clarify that my proposal doesn’t prevent prisoner exchanges – it only toughens the release of prisoners sentenced to life in prison for murder,” she said.
