Smotrich: bodies of Palestinians 'should be dragged on a cart'
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Extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for dragging the bodies of dead Palestinian prisoners on a cart in the streets.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the Israeli occupation's Knesset, in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on July 10, 2023. (AP)
A fierce debate took place during a Sunday cabinet meeting among ministers regarding the release of bodies of Palestinian detainees. The discussion followed a petition submitted to the Israeli High Court by the family of martyred Palestinian detainee Walid Daqqa, seeking the release of his body, which is being held by the Israeli occupation.
Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant underlined that the authority to release the bodies lied to him, and while it arose during internal discussions to release Daqqa's body, the Israeli being prosecuted for war crimes in Gaza said he decided to hold on to Daqqa's body and release the bodies of five other martyrs instead.
"Minister Ben-Gvir chose to ignore my decision and instructed the police not to comply," he said.
"This is a democratic state. I believe that releasing the bodies of terrorists is reckless. It also undermines our ability to negotiate for the release of hostages or their bodies," Ben-Gvir said. "I don't understand the rush to release them; we need to hold onto the bodies," he argued.
"I don't understand where the right to release bodies suddenly comes from. Where is it stipulated? Nobody of an Israeli-Arab terrorist should be released," "Justice" Minister Yariv Levin said of Daqqa, who is from Baqa al-Gharbiyye, a Palestinian city occupied by the Israeli occupation since 1948.
Transport Minister Miri Regev questioned, "I don't understand how we can have hostages and release bodies. Let's wait for a deal."
"We should place the bodies on a cart and drag them through the city center as was done in biblical times, so that people can see and be deterred," far-right Zionist Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
"There is no escaping it - we should not release the bodies" of Palestinian martyrs at this time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
In response, Gallant angrily told the ministers, "Then I will forgo my authority to make decisions - decide whatever you want." However, the attorney general interjected, "You cannot forgo your authority."
"Smotrich also has the authority to take funds from the Palestinian Authority, and the cabinet obligates him. You always say it's the majority decision, so suddenly there's no majority?" Ben-Gvir said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu summarized the meeting, "We are deciding not to release the bodies" of Palestinian prisoners until further notice.
Body still withheld
The family of martyred Palestinian detainee Walid Daqqa denounced in late April the Israeli occupation's continued detention of his body after the Israeli Supreme Court said the authorities needed "more time" to complete the required procedures for his release.
The Daqqa family released a statement condemning the inhumane punitive measure, calling on the Supreme Follow-up Committee, Palestinian parties, and local and international human rights organizations to join them in ending the injustice still faced post-mortem by the detainee.
The family of martyr Daqqa announced that the occupation was still withholding his body, explaining that the decision to hand over the body lies with Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The family revealed that they were not aware of the occupation's transfer of Daqqa to the Israeli Assaf Harofeh Hospital until they learned of his martyrdom through the media instead of official channels.
Palestinian detainee Walid Daqqa was martyred inside Assaf Harofeh Hospital on April 7 following a nearly four-decade-long struggle in Israeli occupation prisons, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) confirmed on Sunday evening.
This comes shortly after the human rights group Amnesty International called on "Israel" to release Daqqa on humanitarian grounds on Saturday. The rights group affirmed that the Palestinian detainee had suffered torture, humiliation, lack of family visits, and medical neglect, particularly since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
