High Court hearing on return of terrorists' bodies turns violent
Bereaved families clash with relatives of terrorists whose bodies are being held by Israel during a hearing in the HCJ; lawyer from the Attorney General's office says withholding bodies is necessary for future prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas.
Bereaved Israeli families and relatives of Palestinian terrorists clashed at a High Court of Justice hearing on Tuesday.
The confrontation took place at the end of a hearing on a petition to return the bodies of terrorists being held by Israel. It quickly turned violent with some participants exchanging blows, pushing and cursing.
Matan Peleg, the CEO of the right-wing Im Tirtzu movement, who also attended the hearing, said the behavior of the families of the terrorists serve as proof of their support for terrorism.
"If there was ever a need for any more proof that the families of the terrorists support the murderers raised in their homes, we saw it clearly during the hearing," he said.
“The reality in which the bereaved families are physically attacked by the relatives of the murderers in the High Court is completely unacceptable. It’s shameful," Peleg vented.
The hearing had a panel of seven judges, headed by the Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut.
In the past, the High Court ruled there was no legal authority to withhold the bodies of terrorists. In response, the state requested for another hearing.
Attorney Aner Helman from the Attorney General's Office argued that Israel is only responding to similar actions of terror organizations in Gaza.
"As we know, Hamas still holds captive an Israeli citizen and two bodies of IDF soldiers, who are being held solely for the purpose of prisoner exchange negotiations with Israel," he explained.
Helman also added that Israel is currently holding the bodies of six terrorists, with four being from the West Bank and the other two from Jerusalem.
Herzl Hajaj, whose daughter Lt. Shir Hajaj was murdered in a vehicular terror attack in Jerusalem in 2016, also attended the hearing, saying the events at the court were "absurd."
"This is completely absurd. A family that prides itself on educating their sons to murder and hate Israelis should not be allowed to have a dignified burial place. This is a win for terrorism. Every terrorist's body has to be thrown into the sea like the US did with Osama bin Laden," he opined.
