Middle East Monitor / July 1, 2024
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for shooting Palestinian prisoners in the head.
Stirring controversy with his recent statements regarding Palestinian prisoners, Ben-Gvir said in a video released yesterday: “Prisoners should be shot in the head instead of being given more food.”
The minister addressed the issue of prison conditions by stating: “It is unfortunate that I have had to deal in recent days with whether Palestinian prisoners should receive fruit baskets.” He emphasised his support for a bill proposed by his right-wing Otzma Yehudit Party, which calls for executing Palestinian prisoners, stating: “They should be killed with a shot to the head, and the bill to execute Palestinian prisoners must be passed in the third reading in the Knesset.”
“Until then, we will give them minimal food to survive. I do not care about this,” Ben-Gvir added.
This comes as the Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Club revealed yesterday that Israeli occupation forces had arrested more than 9,450 Palestinians from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, since the start of the ongoing war of extermination in Gaza and comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people.
Ben-Gvir calls prisoner food ration reduction ‘deterrent measure’
Middle East Monitor / June 27, 2024
Israel’s far-right minister of national security has explained that he has ordered a reduction in food rations for Palestinian prisoners as a “deterrent” measure. Itamar Ben-Gvir made his comment in response to a request for clarification by the Israeli Supreme Court regarding the fact that the portion of food received by Palestinian prisoners is far less than what is stipulated by international law.
“The Palestinian detainees will receive the minimum rights and the minimum food, and I will ensure that this policy is implemented,” said the extremist minister. “This policy is to reduce the food ration for security prisoners to the minimum food and calorie ration required by law, and that security prisoners must receive a smaller ration than criminal prisoners.”
Ben-Gvir added that when the Israeli war against the Palestinians in Gaza broke out last October, it was decided to reduce activity in prisons. “In this context, we decided to stop [allowing] purchases from canteens and to change the method of purchasing and providing food to security prisoners.”
Such “deterrent” measures, he claimed, will avoid potential harm from Palestinians committing “terrorist acts” even when in prisons.
Haaretz newspaper said on Wednesday that Palestinian prisoners who are not members of Hamas lost weight as a result of the Israeli security service reducing their food portions to starvation level.
