Dead Palestinians should be “dragged through the streets”

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the bodies of Palestinian prisoners to be “put on carts and dragged through the streets” to teach a lesson to those planning “operations against Israeli targets.”

The extremist Knesset member made the chilling comments last Sunday during an Israeli cabinet meeting to discuss the return of prisoners’ bodies to their families.

Israel’s Maariv The newspaper reported on Monday that the meeting took place after a petition was filed with Israel’s Supreme Court on behalf of the family of Walid Daqqa, who died in April, demanding that his body be released and returned to his family.

Daqqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Baqa Al-Gharbiyyah, had been in prison since 1986 and died in April after being diagnosed with spinal cord cancer in 2022.

At Sunday’s meeting, a dispute broke out between Israeli ministers over the issue. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that “the authority to authorize the return of terrorists’ bodies” was within his portfolio and that he had decided to “keep Walid Daqqa’s body and release five other bodies. However, (Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar) Ben Gvir decided to ignore me and order the police not to carry out (the order).”

Israel may be holding the writer’s body in anticipation of a prisoner exchange with Hamas, according to reports.

Bodies of Palestinian prisoners as “bargaining objects”

Ben Gvir replied: “This is a democratic state. I believe that releasing the bodies of Israeli terrorists is a sign of negligence. Moreover, it undermines the possibility of releasing them in exchange for hostages or the bodies of hostages. I do not understand what is the reason for the panic and the rush to release them. The bodies must be preserved.”

Several ministers supported Ben Gvir’s stance, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Transport Minister Miri Regev, before Smotrich suggested: “We should put the bodies on a cart and drag them through the city center, as is done in the Torah, to teach others a lesson.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded the meeting by saying: “It was decided not to release the bodies of Israeli Arabs until another decision is made.”

On Monday, Smotrich ordered the Israeli tax authority to deduct NIS 130 million from tax revenue collected for the Palestinian Authority to transfer the money to 28 Israeli families he said were “affected by terrorism” and to Palestinian informants for Israel.

Right-wing Israeli newspaper IsraelHayom reported that Smotrich’s decision would allow the implementation of court rulings that had not been enforced for years.

The amounts, some of which amount to millions per family, will be transferred in the next few days.

In recent years, Israel has passed several laws paving the way for the “legal” confiscation of Palestinian Authority funds. However, Israeli security authorities have so far resisted this move, fearing it could harm the stability of the Palestinian Authority.

This article is based on two articles that appeared in our Arabic edition of Naif Zidane on June 11, 2024. To read the original articles, click here and here.