Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, passed a bill that would allow police officers to storm and search Palestinian homes for illegal weapons without the need for court orders.
The law’s goal is to fight crime in the Arab community, and it will allow police to search Arab buildings without a court order.
According to Haaretz, the provisional rule will be in effect for one year. The law was proposed by lawmakers from the coalition and opposition parties, including the six members from the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu.
The law allows Israeli police to enter and search premises without a court order, although permission from an officer of the rank of superintendent or higher must be obtained.
This operation will be documented according to standard police procedures.
The law also provides for prison terms of up to 10 years as well as fines for those caught with illegal weapons or key parts of weapons.
The penalty is for anyone found guilty of “manufacturing, importing or exporting illegal weapons”. The weapon will also be confiscated.
In this context, lawyer and jurist Moaz Abu Arshaid stresses that “racism lies in the way this law is implemented.”
Abu Arshaid explained, in an interview with Al-Araby from occupied Jerusalem, that “in the past, Israeli soldiers were allowed to search homes by a judge’s decision, and in rare cases, it was allowed to enter the house, provided that there was a fleeing person inside.”
According to lawyer Abu Arsheed, the new law will apply to everyone under the title “Combating Crime in Arab Society.”
The lawyer also explains that what is dangerous in this law is that it enables the police to enter a person’s home without him being accused or connected to any file.
The move follows a similar law proposed in 2021 by former Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar that only passed the first Knesset vote.
