Private member's bill · 25th Knesset · published as law 16 December 2024
חוק מניעת מימון לייצוג משפטי בידי מדינת ישראל (חשוד, נאשם או מורשע בעבירת ביטחון - חרבות ברזל), התשפ"ה–2024Law for the Prevention of Financing of Legal Representation by the State of Israel (Suspect, Accused or Convicted of a Security Offense - Swords of Iron), 2024 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Topics: Military and defense*, Courts and criminal law*, Emergency, war and COVID · * from the Knesset's official law classification · no asterisk — automatically from words in the title
Official summary of the law (Knesset)
The Law establishes that the salaries of defense attorneys appointed, or who were appointed, from 7 October 2023 onward by the court for a person suspected, accused, or convicted of a security offense connected to the events of 7 October or within the framework of the Iron Swords War, will be offset from the funds that the Government of Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority.
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Hebrew original
החוק קובע ששכרם של סניגורים שימונו או שמונו החל מה-7 באוקטובר 2023 על ידי בית המשפט למי שחשוד, נאשם או הורשע בעבירת ביטחון הקשורה לאירועי ה-7 באוקטובר או במסגרת מלחמת חרבות ברזל, יקוזז מהכספים אותם מעבירה ממשלת ישראל לרשות הפלסטינית.
Sponsors
Simcha Rothman, Yonatan Mashriki, Tzvika Foghel, Yaakov Asher, Matan Kahana, Hanoch Dov Milwidsky, Yuli Yoel Edelstein
Readings
- 7 February 2024 · Preliminary readingהצעת חוק הסניגוריה הציבורית (תיקון - ייצוג אסירים ביטחוניים שהשתתפו במלחמת חרבות ברזל), התשפ"ד-2023Bill of Public Advocacy (Amendment - Representation of Security Prisoners Who Participated in Operation Iron Swords), 2023autoBill passed preliminary reading17 for · 5 against
- 5 August 2024 · First readingהצעת חוק מניעת מימון של מדינת ישראל לייצוג משפטי של זר שהוא חשוד או נאשם בטרור, התשפ"ד–2024Bill to Prevent Financing by the State of Israel of Legal Representation of a Foreigner Suspected or Accused of Terrorism, 2024autoBill passed first reading15 for · 6 against
- 11 December 2024 · Third readingהצעת חוק מניעת מימון לייצוג משפטי בידי מדינת ישראל (חשוד, נאשם או מורשע בעבירת ביטחון - חרבות ברזל), התשפ"ה–2024Bill for the Prevention of Financing of Legal Representation by the State of Israel (Suspect, Accused or Convicted of a Security Offense - Swords of Iron), 2024autoLaw passed26 for · 4 against
What was said in the plenum
The bill determines that the State of Israel will no longer continue to fund the legal representation of suspects, defendants, or those convicted of security offenses who participated in the events of 7 October, and instead they will be required to pay for their defense from Palestinian Authority funds; the discussion revolved around the moral question of funding terrorists' defense from their victims' own resources and the alternative source of funds.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק קובעת כי מדינת ישראל לא תמשיך לשאת במימון הייצוג המשפטי של חשודים, נאשמים או מורשעים בעבירות ביטחון שהשתתפו באירועי 7 באוקטובר, ותחת זאת יחויבו לשלם עבור הגנתם מכספי הרשות הפלסטינית; הדיון סבב השאלה המוסרית של מימון הגנה למחבלים מכיסי קרבנותיהם ואת מקור הכספים החלופי.
Arguments for
- There is no moral justification for Israeli citizens, including those murdered and abducted in the massacre and their family members, to continue paying out of their own pockets for the legal defense of those who murdered, raped, and massacred them.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), Yariv Levin (Likud)
- The cost of legal representation for the terrorists should be imposed on the Palestinian Authority, which funds terrorism and pays a price list to terrorists and their families under the "pay for slay" policy.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism)
- The bill does not deny the suspects legal representation as a basic right, but only the public Israeli source of funding for this representation.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism)
- The Public Defender's Office itself expressed the position that it is not appropriate for it to continue representing the perpetrators of the massacre, and therefore it is right to anchor this position in legislation.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), Yariv Levin (Likud)
- There is broad cooperation between the coalition and the opposition on this issue, reflecting widespread public support for correcting the wrong.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism)
Arguments against
- The bill, as it stands, does not sufficiently address the more fundamental question of the terrorists' status in criminal proceedings, and the entire legal approach toward them should be changed instead of settling for a partial amendment of the funding source.Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism)
Who spoke (21)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simcha Rothman | Religious Zionism coalition | Preliminary reading, First reading, Third reading | 4 | for |
| Yariv Levin | Likud coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Yonatan Mashriki | Shas coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Moshe Roth | United Torah Judaism coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Ayman Odeh | Hadash–Ta'al opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Limor Sonn Har Melech | Otzma Yehudit coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | for |
| Ron Katz | Yesh Atid opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Tsega Melaku | Likud coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | for |
| Yasir Hujeirat | Ra'am opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | against |
| Michal Miriam Woldiger | Religious Zionism coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | for |
| Michael Mordechai Biton | National Unity opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Gilad Kariv | Labor opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Evgeny Sova | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Nir Barkat | Likud coalition | Preliminary reading | 1 | no record |
| Hanoch Dov Milwidsky | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Yulia Malinovsky | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Sharon Nir | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Mickey Levy | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Osher Shkalim | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Iman Khatib Yassin | Ra'am opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Tally Gotliv | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2, 3 · write to the author
Reservations to the second reading
83 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.
The reservations are intended to change the definition of the law's purpose and its scope, to soften or cancel the mechanism for offsetting defense attorneys' fees from funds transferred to the Palestinian Authority, to transfer powers from the Minister of Finance to other bodies, and to add conditions, time limits and reporting obligations; a large portion of the reservations, mainly from the Labor group, were proposed in a parodic manner as political criticism of the wording of the law.
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Hebrew original
ההסתייגויות נועדו לשנות את הגדרת מטרת החוק ואת תחולתו, לרכך או לבטל את מנגנון קיזוז שכר הסניגורים מהכספים המועברים לרשות הפלסטינית, להעביר סמכויות משר האוצר לגורמים אחרים, ולהוסיף תנאים, הגבלות זמן וחובות דיווח; חלק גדול מההסתייגויות, בעיקר מקבוצת העבודה, הוצע באופן פרודי כביקורת פוליטית על נוסח החוק.
By faction
- Labor opposition · 66 reservations · 4 members
- Ra'am opposition · 7 reservations · 5 members
- Yesh Atid opposition · 6 reservations · 24 members
- Yisrael Beytenu opposition · 5 reservations · 6 members
A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.
Who proposed what
- העבודה · 66The Labor party proposes to limit the law's period of applicability, change the definition of the offense to a terror offense, weaken or cancel the mechanism for offsetting defense attorneys' fees, and replace the authorized body from the finance sector with social or legal sectors, while also proposing many alternatives of a satirical-political nature regarding the description of the law's purpose and the offset amounts.Sections: לפני סעיף 1, לסעיף 1, לסעיף 2, לסעיף 3, לסעיף 4
- רע״ם · 7Ra'am proposes to delete or soften the offset provisions so that they do not harm humanitarian aid, to transfer the authority to the Minister of Justice with the consent of the Attorney General, and to establish clear cumulative conditions for the application of the offset, as well as to propose a conditional commencement of the law based on social and political conditions.Sections: לסעיף 2, לסעיף 3, לסעיף 4, לאחרי סעיף 4
- יש עתיד · 6Yesh Atid proposes to change the description of the law's purpose, to expand the obligation of legal representation for defendants requiring public defense, to add the Minister of Justice and the approval of the Constitution Committee to the offset process, to link eligibility for the offset to compensation actually provided by the Palestinian Authority, and to add a statement regarding the importance of releasing the hostages.Sections: לפני סעיף 1, לסעיף 2, לסעיף 3Yair Lapid, Meir Cohen, Karine Elharrar, Meirav Cohen, Elazar Stern, Mickey Levy, Merav Ben Ari, Ram Ben Barak, Yoav Segalovitz, Boaz Toporovsky, Michal Shir Segman, Idan Roll, Yorai Lahav Hertzanu, Vladimir Beliak, Ron Katz, Matti Sarfatti Harcavi, Tatiana Mazarsky, Yasmin Fridman, Debbie Biton, Moshe Turpaz, Simon Davidson, Naor Shiri, Shelly Tal Meron, Yaron Levi
- ישראל ביתנו · 5Yisrael Beiteinu proposes to expand the law's applicability to also cover acts of terror and not only security offenses, to change the mechanism for appointing defense attorneys and offsetting their fees, to transfer responsibility for implementing the law from the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Justice, and to add a monthly reporting obligation to the Constitution Committee.Sections: לסעיף 2, לסעיף 4, לאחרי סעיף 4
Asked to speak: Benjamin Gantz (National Unity), Gadi Eisenkot (National Unity), Pnina Tameno (National Unity), Chili Tropper (National Unity), Michael Mordechai Biton (National Unity), Matan Kahana (National Unity), Orit Farkash Hacohen (National Unity), Alon Schuster (National Unity), Ayman Odeh (Hadash–Ta'al), Ahmad Tibi (Hadash–Ta'al), Aida Touma Sliman (Hadash–Ta'al), Ofer Cassif (Hadash–Ta'al), Youssef Atauna (Hadash–Ta'al)
Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF) · write to the author
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 11 December 2024 · Second reading · סעיפים 1-4הצעת חוק מניעת מימון לייצוג משפטי בידי מדינת ישראל (חשוד, נאשם או מורשע בעבירת ביטחון - חרבות ברזל), התשפ"ה–2024Bill for the Prevention of Financing of Legal Representation by the State of Israel (Suspect, Accused or Convicted of a Security Offense - Swords of Iron), 2024auto24 for · 4 againstVote on sections of the bill