Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday banned International Red Cross representatives from visiting Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons. Critics of the Red Cross say the visits facilitate the Palestinian Authority’s controversial “pay for slay” salaries distributed to security prisoners.
“The opinions presented to me indicate without a doubt that this would constitute a serious harm to state security,” Katz said.
Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, told The Press Service of Israel that the visits enable prisoners to fill out and sign paperwork necessary for the Palestinian Authority to begin making the payments.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence.” — ICRC Mission Statement
Israel is fully justified in banning the ICRC from visiting Palestinian terrorist in Israeli prisons. Throughout the two-year hostage crisis in Israel, the International Committee of the Red Cross refrained from seeking access to the hostages. They did not call for medical examinations, failed to send verification teams, and made no public announcements. It is evident that their actions were an effort to appease terrorism, thereby compromising their core mission.