At least 10% of the Palestinians who were arrested in recent years were legally allowed to be in Israel, according to information exclusively obtained by Israel Hayom.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
The information, compiled by the Knesset Research and Information Center in a new report, further shows that this statistic has risen sharply in the span of several years.
The document was composed at the request of Hanoch Milwidsky from Likud, together with right-wing watchdog Im Tirtzu. An analysis of the data shows that between 2018-2022, some 21,000 Palestinians were arrested for terror-related offenses. About 10% of them (2,115) had been issued entry permits that allowed them to cross over the Green Line: In 2018 the number stood at 212, but by 2021 this had already risen to 767, perhaps in light of the additional domestic strife surrounding Operation Guardian of the Walls in Gaza. In 2022 the number of entry permit holders who were arrested dropped slightly to 580.
Some 18% of the permit-holders who were arrested in those years had already entered Israel when they were arrested, the figures show. In 2022, in the wake of several terrorist attacks, the IDF began sealing the gaps in the security barrier but as of June 2023, the Israel Police still does not have an official estimate as to how many Palestinians cross over into Israel. According to the Shin Bet security agency, some 7,000 Palestinians enter Israel daily without the proper documentation.
"A rise of 35% in terrorist-related offenses among Palestinian permit holders is unacceptable, " Milwidsky said in reaction to the report. "We will not allow Israelis' security to be compromised just so Palestinians have a better economic life. I will ask the head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense COmmittee Yuli Edelstein to convene a hearing on the policy for issuing permits."
Im Tirtzu Head of Policy Alon Schwartzer told Israel Hayom that "it is beyond the pale that the right of livelihood of Arabs in Judea and Samaria would trump the right to life and security of Israeli citizens." He added, "The data on the involvement in terrorism among permit holders who use them to visit prisoners suggests that all relevant agencies must act immediately to reduce the availability of such permits. We call on the head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense COmmittee to convene an urgent meeting on the matter and demand answers from the security establishment."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
