BREAKING NEWS

Livni bill could give Israeli Islamic State members five years in prison

Joining a foreign terrorist organization would be a felony that could carry a five-year prison sentence if a Justice Ministry proposal becomes law.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will bring the initiative to a vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which she heads, on Sunday.
Foreign and defense ministers would decide which organizations fall under the bill’s jurisdiction, with approval from the Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee.
The bill comes after dozens of Israelis joined rebel forces in Syria and the Islamic State, which Livni said could lead to terrorist activity in Israel.
“Every country has the right to defend itself and Israel is not an exception,” she said. “Every Israeli citizens who joins a terrorist organization motivated by extremist Muslim ideology will be put on trial.”
Livni said the bill is internal, but that external processes must take place, such as the creation of “a joint axis with Western and Arab countries against fundamentalist Islamic terrorism.”