Brother of hostage barred from Knesset after forcible removal on Monday

The brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat, who was forcibly removed from a Knesset committee meeting earlier this week, is refused entry into the Knesset, Hebrew media says.

Danny Elgarat tells Haaretz he was refused entry after he passed through security and already was given a visitor’s tag.

“Someone called the Knesset sergeant-at-arms, and he came and said it was too close to the incident on Monday, that [the guards] were still traumatized,” he says, adding that he told the sergeant that he wanted to “lower the flames.”

However, the officer said it was “difficult” to change his position.

An official later tells Haaretz that Elgarat did not speak to the sergeant-at-arms, and must have spoken to someone else.

After that, Elgarat says the director general of the Knesset, Moshe Edri, came and affirmed the decision to not allow him entry.

“I could have caused a provocation, but I preferred not to do so because enough happened this week due to their lack of judgment,” Elgarat says.

“People are entering the Knesset who have been convicted of supporting terror; he’s called [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir. I thwarted terrorism my entire life and I cannot enter,” he says, referring to the far-right lawmaker’s past convictions.

Knesset guards on Monday forcibly dragged Elgarat out of a parliamentary committee meeting after he interrupted the brother of another abductee speaking out against the latest hostage agreement being negotiated between Israel and the terror group.