JERUSALEM — The Knesset rejected a bill on June 29, 2026, that would have prohibited representatives of the International Red Cross from visiting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers. The proposal received 36 votes in favor, while 42 Members of Knesset voted against the bill.

The bill was removed from the Knesset's agenda after its first reading. The proposed legislation sought to prevent the sharing of information about detainees without the approval of the national security minister or the defense minister. An explanatory statement accompanying the proposal cited "the security risk involved in the entry of external elements into prisons" as the justification for the bill. It also suggested that International Red Cross representatives would not be permitted in prisons and places of detention as defined in the Law on the Imprisonment of Unlawful Combatants.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the legislation "correct and important." Ben Gvir noted that Red Cross representatives did not visit Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre. He also stated that voting against the bill was equivalent to voting in favor of Hamas's Nukhba force terrorists.

United Torah Judaism and Shas had vowed to boycott coalition voting due to delays in passing haredi-favored legislation. Ben Gvir stated that disrupting the legislative agenda "will not help the Haredi public" and would harm Israel's national security. The Shas party supported preventing Red Cross representatives from visiting prisoners but claimed they could not vote for the proposal until "after the approval of the Basic Law on Torah Study."

On June 3, 2026, the High Court of Justice unanimously accepted a petition against Israel's ban on Red Cross visits and ruled the ban unlawful. The court noted that the state did not present a coherent legal basis for the ban, despite security sensitivities.

Why It Matters

The Knesset's rejection of this bill comes weeks after the High Court of Justice ruled that Israel's existing ban on Red Cross visits was unlawful. The proposed legislation aimed to formally codify restrictions on the International Red Cross's access to Palestinian prisoners. The vote indicates a division within the Knesset regarding security risks and international humanitarian access to detainees. The Shas party's decision to withhold votes impacted the outcome of the bill.