Bill allowing police to probe incitement without state attorney’s go-ahead advances for final votes

Lawmakers in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee vote 6-5 to advance a controversial bill allowing police greater discretion in probing suspected incitement, while chipping away at state attorneys’ oversight of investigations into such cases.

The bill, which will now go to the Knesset plenum for the final two votes needed for it to pass into law, would allow police to open investigations into possible incitement offenses without approval from the State Attorney’s Office.

The bill also calls for stricter legal penalties for incitement by prohibiting praise for an individual who committed a terrorist act, rather than just for the act itself.

The committee initially voted to advance the legislation last week but the opposition lodged thousands of objections, requiring follow-up votes in the committee today.

The bill has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and opposition MKs over restrictions on freedom of speech. The committee’s legal advisor has also stated that the bill raises constitutional concerns.

The committee vote is welcomed by the far right Otzma Yehudit party, several of whose MKs sponsored the measure.

“This is a real revolution in the fight against incitement to terrorism. For years, we have seen how terrorists incite online, call for the murder of Jews and harm to IDF soldiers – and the system simply did not act in time. Our law is here to change that. From now on, the police will have the tools to act immediately, to arrest instigators before they send the next terrorists. This is how deterrence is strengthened and lives are saved,” Ben Gvir says in a statement.

Speaking with The Times of Israel after the vote, sponsor MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) calls the legislation an “important law” that will “save lives.”

“We are very, very happy that today the entire ongoing and lengthy process that existed until now regarding the decision to open investigations into incitement to terrorism will no longer exist. And truly, whoever incites terrorism will know that the procedures against them will be very fast,” she adds.

The bill is condemned by committee member MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats), who declares that it “will lead to countless wrongful arrests of citizens and the abuse of arrest and investigation powers by officers lacking proper training, who will seek to curry favor with politicians.”

“If approved, the bill will severely harm freedom of expression in Israel, falsely and manipulatively exploiting the need to combat incitement to terrorism.”