A contentious debate erupted in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee as bereaved parents vehemently objected to the state funding legal representation for Hamas terrorists suspected of involvement in the October 7 attacks.
The hearing, which some parents claimed lawmakers deliberately arrived late to avoid, centered on a proposed bill to prohibit the Public Defender's Office from representing those legally defined as illegal combatants.
"If someone here supports legal representation for terrorists, stand up. If not, let's end the discussion," declared Itzik Bonzel, who lost his son Amit during the fighting in Gaza, according to Israel National News.
Galia Hoshen, whose daughter Hadar was killed on October 7, expressed her outrage: "This isn't stupidity, this is deliberate evil against our people. My daughter was murdered, and I have to fund legal representation for those who murdered her?"
The issue gained prominence last week when Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the Israel Courts Administration's request for funds to provide legal representation for captured combatants suspected of participating in the October 7 attacks.
Israeli courts have ruled that these detainees, among approximately 2,000 suspected Palestinian terrorists captured since October 7, require legal representation. With the Public Defender's Office refusing to represent them, the courts ordered private counsel be provided at state expense, as stipulated by Israeli law.
This decision has sparked a fierce debate over the balance between upholding legal principles and addressing the raw emotions of a nation still reeling from the October attacks.
* The Times of Israel contributed to this article.