Israel’s parliament has passed an amendment to the country’s counterterrorism law that introduces a new criminal offense, namely the “consumption of terrorist materials.”
A video shared on social media on Thursday showed Israeli police at the home of a Palestinian woman informing her she was being arrested for allegedly “sharing content that sympathizes with and encourages terrorist actions… and supporting content that incites violence and terrorism.”
Israel’s parliament has passed an amendment to the country’s counterterrorism law that introduces a new criminal offense, namely the “consumption of terrorist materials.”
The bill, which was approved by a 13-4 majority in the Knesset, carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.
It amends Article 24 of the counterterrorism law to ban the “systematic and continuous consumption of publications of a terrorist organization under circumstances that indicate identification with the terrorist organization”.
🔻 توثيق لعملية اعتقال فلسطينية من الداخل على خلفية منشورات
متخيلين الذل إلي إحنا فيه يا أمة الدولار pic.twitter.com/rUwpErjZeV
— المرصد العسكري ⧨ (@Military_OSTX) November 8, 2023
The “specific publications” referred to in the law encompass expressions of praise, support, or encouragement of terrorist acts, direct calls to commit an act of terrorism, as well as documentation of an act of terrorism.
The bill designates Hamas and ISIS as the terrorist organizations to which this offense applies.
The amendment also grants the Minister of Justice the authority to declare more organizations as terrorists, with the concurrence of the Minister of Defense and the approval of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee.
Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, has slammed the law as “one of the most intrusive and draconian legislative measures ever passed by the Knesset since it makes thoughts subject to criminal punishment.”
It said the amendment “criminalizes even passive social media use”. This, Adalah added, comes “at a time when Israeli authorities are ramping up their campaign to stifle the freedom of expression of Palestinian citizens of Israel, conducting extensive surveillance of their online communications, and making unprecedented arrests for alleged speech-related offenses.”
Adalah will petition the Supreme Court to challenge the law which is a temporary two-year measure.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
