From At High Court hearing, Ben Gvir stands by decision to prevent Tibi meeting Barghouti
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Addressing reporters inside the High Court of Justice, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stands behind his decision to prevent Hadash-Ta׳al MK Ahmad Tibi from meeting with Palestinian security prisoners.
In April, the veteran Arab lawmaker petitioned the court to allow him to meet such prisoners jailed for terror offenses, especially top Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti, arguing that Ben Gvir’s blanket refusal to allow such meetings is discriminatory and contravenes the principle of legislative oversight.
“It is sad that on the day we are burying soldiers, we have to deal with a petition from a member of the Knesset in the State of Israel, who receives money out of our salaries and wants to meet and talk with his partner Marwan Barghouti, a murderer who has the blood of Jews on his hands,” Ben Gvir says after attending a hearing on the matter.
“This is a shame, It’s a disgrace,” he continues. “I determined that they cannot meet, and I stand behind this decision.”
