Communicated by the Defense Minister's
Media Adviser
 Jerusalem, June 11, 2000

Cabinet Approves Draft of Illegal Combatant Detention Law

 

The Cabinet today (Sunday), 11.6.2000, at the request of Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, unanimously approved draft legislation to enable the continued detention of Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh Obeid as well as any other illegal combatant in any force which carries out armed action against the State of Israel or takes part in terrorist activities against it.

The Cabinet decided to table the draft legislation in the Knesset this week and work for its rapid enactment.

Prime Minister Barak pointed out that Israel is obligated to exhaust all options in order to determine the fate of Air Force navigator Ron Arad and other Israeli POWs and MIAs, hence necessitating the draft legislation.