The Knesset approved Monday in a second and third reading a bill that annuls all sentences – except for prison sentences – handed down against objectors to the 2005 disengagement plan fromthe Gaza Strip.
Fifty one members of Knesset endorsed the proposal, while only nine voted against the bill.
According to the bill, persons convicted for offences based on their objection to the Gaza pullout will see their sentence annuled. The law will also apply to sentences given in military courts and will include the nullification of convicted persons' criminal records.
However, the new law will not apply to those given prison sentences (such as in cases of bodily injuries or severe violence).
"At certain junctions, democracy needs to forgive and forget, and leave the past behind," said Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin following the bill's approval.
"The disengagement was a national trauma and cannot be compared to any other social crisis. I believe that the bill's approval will help mend the rift within Israeli society and correct the injustice suffered by the evacuees who paid the heaviest price for democracy," he added.
Protesting on synagogue's roof, summer 2005 (Photo: Reuters)
'Scars have yet to heal'
Prior to the vote, the Knesset held a lengthy discussion on the matter; Chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) said that "the disengagement plan was a singular and unique event in the history of the State of Israel andit nearly tore the nation apart."
"Some of us, including myself, still have a bleeding heart over this devastating event," he said.
Among those who opposed the bill was MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) who said during the discussion, "I think the bill is extremely dangerous for many reasons; one of them being that this bill in effect exempts criminal offenders from punishment in a unilateral way."
However, Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Daniel Hershkowitz lauded the approval of the bill. "Many have yet to heal from the scars inflicted by the disengagement. Their mark of disgrace – reflected in criminal records – must be erased, especially in cases where another person's life was not endangered," Hershkowitz said.
"Disengagement supporters and objectors must unite in order to heal the national rift. Pardoning fthose who expressed their objection without causing harm is a step in the right direction," he said.