(26-01-2010) MK Rotem's Bill to Pardon Protesters of 2005 Disengagement Passes with Strong Support
The Knesset passed a law yesterday that grants amnesty to most of those convicted for protest activities against the 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
The bill, will pardon about 400 of the 482 people who faced criminal proceedings related to the disengagement. Most are teens convicted of minor offenses. It will not apply to those convicted of serious violence or of endangering human life, nor will it apply to those with previous criminal records.
Knesset Constitution Committee chairman David Rotem , whose panel prepared the bill for yesterday's final reading, told the plenum that no one was currently serving a prsion sentence for disturbances connected to the 2005 evacuation of Gaza. The law will erase the criminal records of all those it affects, and forbid law enforcement agencies from informing any other organization of the convictions, thereby ensuring that those pardoned will not face difficulties in being drafted or finding employment.
The amnesty, Rotem argued, was necessary, because "the Disengagement was a unique event" that "nearly tore the nation in two," and the law is the Knesset's way of saying "'I am trying, and want, to heal the rift that was created.'"
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The Knesset passed a law yesterday that grants amnesty to most of those convicted for protest activities against the 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip.