Israel’s High Court: Hamas prisoners not entitled to family visits

“It is immoral to allow despicable terrorists to have family visits as long as Hamas holds the bodies of our soldiers and citizens,” Erdan said.

By JNS

Israel’s High Court of Justice has rejected a petition by Hamas terrorists from Gaza incarcerated in Israeli prisons to overrule a decision by Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to prevent them from receiving family visits.

In 2017, Erdan ordered the Israel Prisons Service not to approve family visits for Gaza terrorists connected to Hamas, in a bid to exert pressure on the organization to return Israeli citizens and the bodies of Israeli soldiers.

The court found that Erdan’s decision fell within the purview of state security and is legal, according to The Jerusalem Post.

“It is unreasonable and immoral to allow despicable terrorists to have family visits as long as Hamas holds the bodies of our soldiers and Israeli citizens,” Erdan said. “I welcome the High Court of Justice’s ruling rejecting the petition against my decision … I will continue to act against the terrorists in prison until their prison terms fall to the minimum required by law.”

In a statement, the family of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held captive by Hamas since the 2014 Gaza war, said, “We now expect Netanyahu to toughen the conditions of the prisoners and put effective pressure on Hamas.

“If the Israeli government implements and fulfills the cabinet’s decisions, we will be able to bring Hadar, Oron [Shaul], Avera [Mengistu] and Hisham [al-Sayed] back home in the best agreement since the end of the Yom Kippur War,” the family added.