The ministerial committee headed by Justice Minister Daniel Friedman on Sunday made its recommendations to the cabinet in the last meeting of the outgoing administration, calling to reduce privileges for terrorists imprisoned in Israel, curtailing visitation, limiting television access time, limiting monthly canteen allowance and limiting academic studies. The interim report was given to the outgoing government, which voted in favor, adopting the measure.

Friedman told the cabinet that while Israel is a democracy, the only one in the region, “we needn’t be suckers”, recommending the cabinet approve measures to reduce the level of accommodations for terrorists.

With Gilad Shalit being held by Hamas for over 1,000, many are already questioning why it has taken the administration to wake up, to make conditions increasingly harsh on Hamas terrorists, an act that by most accounts is too little too late.

The current administration will not complete the process and the committee will report to the incoming administration next week when its probe is complete.

Prison service officials are speaking of halting daily newspapers and limiting radio and television for terrorists. Seeking to champion democracy, prison service officials stated Red Cross visits would not be harmed, nor would anything to do with religious observance and mail to prisoners. Interestingly, the very same prison service did not hesitate preventing family members from delivering tefillin to right-wing religious prisoners and detainees involved in anti-government protests during recent years. The same holds true for those detainees and prisoners who seek badatz food in prison, in many cases prevented from doing so by the prison service which remains extremely concerned over the religious rights of terrorists.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a point of stating he has instructed officials to safeguard the rights of prisoners as per international law. 

MK (Hadash) Afou Agbaria stated the move does not come as a surprise, pointing out the “prisoners do not live in five star conditions anyway. At a time when American takes the bold step to close down Guantanamo, Israel acts like a gang and not a law-abiding nation”.

Opponents of the move have already warned prisoners will launch a hunger strike, unwilling to accept any reduction in the standard of their imprisonment.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)