‘Outrageous demand’ – Court demands Israeli taxpayers cover October 7th terrorists’ legal fees November 11, 2024Fighters from the Joint Operations Room of Gaza-based armed Palestinian factions, near Rafah crossing the border in the southern Gaza Strip with Egypt, on September 20, 2023. (Shutterstock)Fighters from the Joint Operations Room of Gaza-based armed Palestinian factions, near Rafah crossing the border in the southern Gaza Strip with Egypt, on September 20, 2023. (Shutterstock)‘Outrageous demand’ – Court demands Israeli taxpayers cover October 7th terrorists’ legal feesIsraeli judiciary orders state to pay nearly one million shekels to Arab law firm representing terrorists from Hamas’ elite Nukhba Force which carried out atrocities against Israelis on October 7th.By World Israel News StaffThe Israeli judiciary is demanding that Israeli taxpayers pay nearly one million shekels in legal fees for the defense of Hamas terrorists from an elite unit directly responsible for the invasion of October 7th and subsequent massacres of Israelis, according to a report Monday.Arutz Sheva reported that an Arab Israeli law firm which has been providing legal services to Hamas terrorists from the elite Nukhba Force for nearly a year is demanding close to one million shekels ($267,985) from the state treasury, after multiple government ministries refused to foot the bill.Thus far, the Justice Ministry and the National Security Ministry have both refused to reimburse the firm representing the Nukhba Force terrorists, according to the report.An Israeli court is now ordering the Finance Ministry, which administers the state treasury, to cover the terrorists’ legal expenses.The issue first arose after the Knesset passed emergency legislation following the October 7th invasion, barring jailed terrorists captured during the current war from being assigned a public defender to represent them.Read Why did a Russian government plane secretly land in Israel?Since then, Israeli courts have ruled that terrorists on trial must still be provided with legal representation, ordering the state to cover their legal fees.By mid-July, at least 80 Nukhba Force terrorists had received court backing for state-funded legal representation.A spokesperson for the Judicial Authority downplayed the court decisions, arguing that the Knesset’s legislation barring public defenders from representing terrorists effectively tied the courts’ hands.“The appointment of a lawyer for a Nukhba detainee is not something which is up to the discretion of the court, and representation of a suspect is a prerequisite for holding the hearing via video conference. This is required by the law.”Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) has ordered the treasury not to transfer funds to cover the legal fees of Nukhba terrorists.“The citizens of Israel will not fund the legal defense of our despicable enemies,” Smotrich declared.Minister of Construction and Housing Yitzhak Goldknopf (United Torah Judaism) excoriated the judiciary’s demand that the treasury pay for terrorists’ legal fees.“This is an absurd and outrageous demand,” Goldknopf tweeted. “The tax money of the citizens of Israel is not supposed to fund legal representation for the human monsters who massacred men, women and children with terrible cruelty.”Read Hamas shields terrorists in hospitals, ambulances, says Gaza paramedic“I call on the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich not to respond to the request and refer them to their friends in Turkey, Qatar and the Palestinian Terrorist Authority.”The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee has given preliminary approval for legislation which would not only bar terrorists arrested for acts committed on October 7th from being represented by public defenders, but would also prevent the state from funding their defense in any way. courtsHamasNukhba
