Feed aggregator

The Knesset on Monday night overwhelmingly approved final passage of legislation establishing a legal framework to prosecute Hamas terrorists and collaborators involved in the October 7 massacre, including the possibility of capital punishment for those convicted.

The bill passed its second and third readings with broad support across the political spectrum, receiving 93 votes in favor. The legislation is designed to enable Israeli courts to try perpetrators of the October 7 atrocities for crimes committed during the Hamas-led assault.

Under the new law, the harshest sentence available to the courts will be the death penalty.

Lawmakers also approved a significant amendment introduced by MK Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party and MK Yulia Malinovsky of Yisrael Beytenu. The provision states that terrorists convicted under the law will never be eligible for release, including במסגרת future hostage or prisoner exchange agreements.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin praised the legislation following its passage, saying it fulfills Israel’s obligation to pursue justice for the victims of the massacre.

“This law ensures that the terrorists and their accomplices will stand trial and face justice, including the imposition of death sentences. From the depths of the horrific massacre we have risen – for the memory of the murdered, for their families, for those wounded in body and soul, for those who were taken hostage, and for the entire nation – to fulfill our supreme moral obligation: to bring the perpetrators of this ghastly slaughter to justice. I thank Constitution Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman, MK Yulia Malinovsky, and all those involved in the vital work of advancing this legislation.”

Rothman described the vote as a historic moment for the State of Israel and said the law sends a direct message to Israel’s enemies.

“Tonight, the State of Israel took a historic step toward justice and national remembrance. The law to prosecute Nukhba terrorists has passed, sending a sharp and clear message to our enemies: anyone who slaughtered, murdered, raped, and kidnapped Israeli citizens will be tried and will pay the ultimate price. The State of Israel will neither forget nor forgive. This is a moral debt to the victims, the bereaved families, the hostages, and the entire people of Israel. The whole world will see, hear, and know exactly what cruel evil the State of Israel faced on October 7, and how it is holding that evil accountable.”

MK Yulia Malinovsky said the legislation marks a turning point nearly three years after the massacre and compared the future proceedings to the historic trials of Nazi war criminals.

“Nearly three years later, the path to justice has finally been paved. The law to prosecute the October 7 terrorists passed its final readings in the plenum with an unprecedented level of consensus. The clock is ticking for those who harmed the State of Israel, and these modern-day Eichmann trials will take place in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. This law is a matter of history and national legacy. I dedicate this legislation to the victims, the hostages, their families, and every citizen living in this land. Am Yisrael Chai!”

{Matzav.com}

Authorities are investigating a series of antisemitic vandalism incidents in Queens after nearly a dozen swastikas were discovered spray-painted in two public parks on Sunday, continuing a troubling pattern of anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City.

Officers from the NYPD’s 104th Precinct responded to a bias complaint near Highland Boulevard and Vermont Place in Ridgewood, according to amNewYork. Police arriving at Highland Park and the Ridgewood Reservoir located five swastikas painted on signs, pavement, and other public property throughout the area.

The discovery came just hours after a separate incident was reported within the confines of the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill. Around midday, officers were called to the area near 72nd Road and Union Turnpike, where six more swastikas had been painted along the walls of an underpass adjacent to the Forest Park Playground.

Police said the incidents remain under active investigation, though no suspects have yet been taken into custody. The latest acts of vandalism come one week after antisemitic graffiti was found on two shuls and two private homes elsewhere in Queens.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin sharply denounced the incidents and posted photos of the graffiti online, calling the acts an attempt to frighten Jewish residents.

“Highland Park and Forest Park in Queens were vandalized with at least 11 swastikas. Just a week ago today, similar antisemitic graffiti was found at two synagogues and two private homes in the borough. This is yet another hateful incident meant to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers and divide our city. And we want to be clear: We cannot and will not accept this as normal,” she wrote.

Menin pointed to the City Council’s ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, referencing the body’s Five-Point Action Plan aimed at addressing hate and increasing accountability and education throughout the city.

The city’s Parks Department has been alerted and is expected to remove the graffiti while detectives continue searching for those responsible.

The incidents come amid continued concern over the high number of antisemitic hate crimes in New York City. NYPD statistics released last week showed that Jews were targeted in 30 of the city’s 50 confirmed hate crimes in April — approximately 60% of all reported incidents — despite Jews making up roughly one-tenth of the city’s population.

Police data showed that nine hate crimes targeted Black individuals, three targeted Hispanics, five involved sexual orientation, two were religion-based, and one was tied to gender. No incidents were reported against Muslims, Asians, or white individuals during that period.

Although antisemitic incidents declined from 43 reported cases during the same month last year, officials still recorded 21 such incidents in February and 32 in March.

Between February and April, authorities documented 83 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes out of 143 total hate crime incidents citywide, meaning anti-Jewish attacks accounted for roughly 58% of all cases during that stretch. The incidents ranged from graffiti and threats to physical assaults and harassment.

{Matzav.com}