The Knesset will hold second and third readings today (Monday) on legislation to prosecute October 7 terrorists, sponsored by lawmakers Simcha Rotman and Yulia Malinovsky. The bill is expected to pass with broad consensus from left and right by a large majority.
Under the proposal, the law will apply to acts committed between October 7 and 10, 2023, as well as crimes committed afterward against those kidnapped from Israel during those days, including the bodies of the dead. The charges defendants can face are among the most severe: crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
According to the bill, the terrorists’ cases will be heard before a military court established under emergency defense regulations. Each panel will be headed by a retired district court judge, and each appeals panel by a retired Supreme Court justice, retired district court president, or president of the Military Court of Appeals.
Given the evidentiary complexity and scale of the atrocities, the bill noted, the law will allow deviation from standard rules of procedure and evidence in order to enable establishing the truth “while maintaining fairness of proceedings.”
The law will prevent the possibility of releasing the defendants or convicts in future terrorist release deals as part of political negotiations. At the same time, hearings will generally be public, broadcast on a dedicated website, and preserved for the state archives. In addition, a steering committee will be established headed by the prime minister and including the justice, defense, and foreign ministers, which will set policy and preparations for the prosecutions.