On 23 May 2010, Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Legislation voted in favor of adopting two private bills that are intended to worsen the imprisonment conditions of security prisoners associated with terrorist organizations. The purpose of these bills is to increase pressure on the Hamas leadership to reach a settlement over the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who has been held in Gaza since 25 June 2005 and denied basic rights, such as visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
These bills aim to link the internment conditions of Israelis held by hostile or terrorist organizations or enemy states to the prison conditions of the prisoners and detainees whose release is being demanded by these same organizations, as well as the conditions of other prisoners belonging to these terrorist organizations or states.
According to the first bill (sponsored by MK Danny Danon, Likud),[1] prisoners belonging to terrorist organizations will be denied visitations rights (except from their attorneys and special visits by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross once every three months).
The explanatory notes attached to the second bill (sponsored by MK Yariv Levin, Likud)[2] state that the relevant prisoners and detainees, who would be identified by the head of the Israeli Security Agency ("required prisoners"), will be held under restrictive conditions and denied the privileges to which prisoners are usually entitled. Moreover, according to this bill, these prisoners will automatically be placed under administrative detention at the expiration of their prison sentences (as long they are considered "required prisoners").
Upon the adoption of these bills by the committee, they will become government bills and, therefore, will enjoy its support, on one hand, and be subject to modifications by the government, on the other hand. Given that the bills as they currently stand raise a number of difficult legal issues, their prospects of maturing into binding legislation are uncertain.