Knesset Rejects Bill to Bar Red Cross From Israeli Prisons

The Knesset rejected a bill in its first reading on June 29 that would have barred representatives of the International Red Cross from entering Israeli prisons and detention facilities. Haaretz reported the vote failed after a boycott by ultra-Orthodox coalition partners left National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir short of the required support.

Internal divisions among those partners produced the outcome.

The legislation had sought to restrict access by international monitors to detention sites. Ben-Gvir, who holds the National Security portfolio, could not secure passage once the boycott reduced available votes. The measure did not advance beyond the initial reading.