{"id":7591,"date":"2013-11-17T11:33:29","date_gmt":"2013-11-17T09:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/law.acri.org.il\/en\/?p=7591"},"modified":"2013-11-17T11:33:49","modified_gmt":"2013-11-17T09:33:49","slug":"krunov12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.acri.org.il\/en\/2013\/11\/17\/krunov12\/","title":{"rendered":"Knesset Roundup | November 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
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To receive the Knesset Roundup directly to your email, click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/center> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Forbidding the Provision of Assistance to Palestinians Illegally Residing in Israel<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Bill on Illegal Residence (Prohibition of Assistance) – 2013\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n

Sunday, 3\/11\/2013 | Determining the Government’s Decision
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ACRI\u2019s Position:<\/strong> This draft bill seeks to turn a provisional order currently in force into permanent legislation. In 1994, the Knesset approved a temporary provision for a period of six months, the aim of which was to forbid the employment or shelter of Palestinians from the Occupied Territories illegally living in Israel. Since it was first enacted, the provision has been extended time and time again. In 2011, the Ministry of Justice began drafting a legislative memorandum that would enshrine its dictates in law and thus bring to an end the periodic debates on the matter that took place during each extension debate. The memorandum was approved as a law in 2011, but was restricted to a period of three years. The government\u2019s intention is now to turn it into a permanent law.
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\nThe bill imposes criminal penalties, including a two-year prison sentence and administrative penalties \u2013 such as the immediate confiscation of vehicles, on anyone caught assisting illegal residents. These provisions are likely to encourage racism and will turn law-abiding citizens into criminals for no apparent reason. ACRI\u2019s position is that this provision is not worthy of permanently appearing on the law books of a democratic state, and at the very least, should remain as a temporary measure.<\/strong> The original bill was designed to deal with a unique situation that existed during the intifada and the escalation in terrorist attacks that took place inside Israel. Since then the draconian provisions have been continuously extended. .<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Opposing the Wisconsin Plan<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Welfare to Work Bill<\/em><\/p>\n

Labour and Welfare Committee <\/em><\/p>\n

Monday, 4\/11\/2013 | Preparation for second and third reading<\/em><\/p>\n

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ACRI’s Position:<\/strong> Prior to the Knesset committee\u2019s discussion on the Welfare to Work Bill (the new \u2018Wisconsin Plan\u2019)<\/a>, Rabbis for Human Rights, ACRI, and Community Advocacy made its opposition known to the committee. In our correspondence, the organizations specified key deficiencies in the program including: a lack of job-creation strategies, a comprehensive privatization of government powers, the continued deterioration of employment services, etc. The organizations additionally outlined a number of important amendments that should be inserted into the bill in the event that it continues to advance. Some of these demands include:
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  1. All government powers that affect the ability of job seekers to live with dignity must be left in the hands of the State Employment Service. This includes decisions on who to accept to the program, the decision on when to revoke income support, and more.<\/li>\n
  2. As a matter of principle, vocational training must be prioritized over sending participants to work that doesn\u2019t pay a sufficient wage or possess future prospects.<\/li>\n
  3. Every participant must have the right to employment support services.<\/li>\n
  4. The arbitrary decision to set a 30-35 hour weekly working program for all participants needs to be eliminated and replaced with individually tailored programs for each participant.<\/li>\n
  5. Each participant requires an individually tailored work program and employment referrals should take into account the personal, social and cultural characteristics of each participant.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     
    \nIn addition to this, the Knesset Information and Research Center, released a report on November 11, 2013, comparing the “new and improved” proposal to versions of the plan that have been rejected in the past.     The report<\/a> found that the new plan is essentially identical to previous versions of the bill that were rejected as being harmful to social rights.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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    Dispossessing the Bedouins of their Land<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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    Bill for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

    Internal Affairs and Environment Committee<\/em><\/p>\n

    Wednesday, 6\/11\/2013 | Preparation for second and third reading<\/em><\/p>\n

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    ACRI\u2019s Position:<\/strong> The bill being advanced by the government<\/a> deals with establishment of a mechanism for investigating and regulating land-ownership in the Negev. This regulation includes determining land ownership claims, liability in respect of such claims and levels of compensation where claims are found to exist, etc. Among the major problems contained in the bill<\/a> under its current formulation are:
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