In its sitting on Wednesday, the Knesset Plenum voted to approve in preliminary reading the Penal Bill (Amendment—Assaulting an IDF Soldier), 2024, sponsored by MK Alon Schuster (National Unity Party). In the vote, 21 Members of Knesset supported the bill, without opposing votes, and it will be turned over to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for deliberation.
It is proposed to distinguish the offense of “assaulting a soldier” from other assault offenses. It is further proposed to distinguish between “assaulting a soldier” and “assaulting a soldier under aggravating circumstances,” so that the penalty will reflect the intensity of the assault.
The explanatory notes to the bill state: “When the Penal Law, 1977, was enacted, no one imagined that in the State of Israel soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces would be assaulted by citizens and residents of Israel.
“In the recent period, the phenomenon of assaulting IDF soldiers has become increasingly common. Among Israel’s citizens, there are radical streams that are unwilling to accept the presence of soldiers near them or in their residential environment. Even if the soldiers are not at the spot as part of their duties, but are only passing through on their way home, these radicals assault them and employ severe violence against them.”
