MK Rabbi Israel Eichler, chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, submitted a bill today prohibiting the publicizing of casualties names, before it has been officially confirmed. This is in light of recent events where waves of rumors and false reports have been circulating with false names of those injured or killed. Furthermore, and worse yet, is when a true rumor reaches a family through irresponsible and unofficial means in a time of war, or during terrorist attacks or other embarrassing and unfortunate events, where the results can be devastating.

MK Eichler added that in an era of social media, the harm that is done is massive and sometimes impossible to repair.

He also demanded answers of the Justice Minister why the Justice Department did not indict those who publicized pictures of casualties without blurring the identity of the victim contrary to the Privacy Protection Act, as amended in 2011 by MKs Rabbi Moshe Gafni and Rabbi Uri Maklev.

In his Query he wanted to know why there is no enforcement of the law against publishers of photos and videos that are not censored and harm the privacy of the victim. And if it has been enforced, how many cases were opened in the last five years, how many judgments were given and what where the penalties imposed on offenders?

MK Rabbi Eichler said, “This is a brutal vice that hurts those injured and adds pain to the families, all because of a wild lust to shoot and distribute horrific images that reduce the value of human life in the eyes of its viewers, images that darkens the feelings of mercy and gentleness and corrupts the human soul.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)