Lead

The Knesset rejected a bill on Monday that sought to bar representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross from entering Israeli detention facilities and to prohibit the transfer of information to the organization. The bill, which failed its first reading, was pulled from the agenda after 41 MKs voted against it, with 36 in favor, according to the Jerusalem Post. The proposed amendment to the Prisons Ordinance was drafted by MKs Galit Distel Atbaryan, Keti Shitrit, and a group of additional lawmakers.

Coverage Comparison

Two reports by the Jerusalem Post, published on June 30, 2026, cover the vote. One account, by Anna Barsky, reports that the bill received 36 votes in favor and 41 against. A second article by Goldie Katz states that 42 MKs voted against the proposal. Both reports attribute the bill's failure to a boycott by the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, who had vowed to abstain from coalition voting in retaliation for what they saw as slow progress on haredi-favored legislation.

Key Claims

  • The bill would have prohibited Red Cross representatives from entering prisons and other places of detention, as defined in the Law on the Imprisonment of Unlawful Combatants, and would have restricted the sharing of information about detainees without approval from the national security minister or defense minister.
  • An explanatory statement cited "the security risk involved in the entry of external elements into prisons" as the rationale for the legislation.
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir supported the bill, describing it as "correct and important." He noted that Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza did not receive Red Cross visits and stated that anyone abstaining from the vote was effectively supporting the Nukhba terrorists.
  • Coalition chairman Ofir Katz urged the haredi parties to support the bill, warning that if it did not pass, "the Nukhba terrorists will receive assistance."
  • A physical altercation broke out in the plenum between Katz and MK Ayman Odeh, requiring ushers to intervene.
  • The High Court of Justice previously ruled that a ban on Red Cross visits was unlawful, a context noted in one of the reports.

Perspectives

Although the sources do not present a distinct opposing viewpoint from within the Knesset, the haredi parties' position is inferred from their boycott. The Shas party clarified that they support preventing Red Cross visits but claimed that they could not vote for the bill due to coalition dynamics. This perspective is reported by the Jerusalem Post.