Hamas terrorists imprisoned in Israel will not receive visitors. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan stated that Hamas terrorists from Gaza who are imprisoned in Israel for terrorist offenses will not receive family visits in order to increase pressure on Hamas, especially on the issue of the missing persons held by the terrorist organization that controls Gaza.

In the High Court of Justice ruling, which rejected the petition filed by the terrorists, the justices held that visits to prisoners were considered a privilege rather than the rights conferred on the prisoner, and as such the authorities were authorized to revoke visits from the prisoners.

The judges wrote in the ruling that “the accepted approach is that vacations and visits are not rights that the prisoner is necessarily entitled to, but rather a privilege or an act of chessed granted to him if he meets certain conditions and that the Supreme Court continues to see visits as enjoyment that is not a vested right”.

Judge Neil Hendel added that there is a “significant difference” between Hamas prisoners from Gaza and other prisoners: “A great deal of brazenness is required to describe the different treatment of Hamas prisoners as discrimination on the basis of ‘political affiliation’ – ignoring the murderous nature of the organization, which was said to be “one of the most radical and dangerous in the terror organizations, and whose declared and clear goal is a jihad war that will wipe Israel off the face of the earth.”

Of the Goldin family, whose son Hadar’s body has been in the hands of Hamas for almost five years, said in response to the decision: “The High Court of Justice gave full support and backing to the way of putting pressure on Hamas to bring the sons home. We now expect Netanyahu to lead steps to toughen the conditions of the prisoners and put effective pressure on Hamas. If the Israeli government implements and fulfills the cabinet’s decisions, we can bring Hadar, Oron, Avra and Hisham back home in the best agreement since the end of the Yom Kippur War”.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said: “It is unreasonable and immoral to allow despicable terrorists to have family visits as long as Hamas holds the bodies of our soldiers and Israeli citizens. Their imprisonment conditions will be reduced to the minimum required by law.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)