MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) and Tamar Zandberg (Merez) have joined forces to advance a bill prohibiting Israel from exporting weapons to countries with poor human rights records.
The two MKs, whose opinions are diametrically opposed on matters pertaining to the Middle East, have already enlisted the signatures of many like-minded MKs who feel that moral obligations precede economic considerations. Among the MKs is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Avi Dichter (Likud) and Eyal Ben-Reuven (Zionist Union).
According to the bill, the Foreign Ministry would be obligated to supply the Defense Ministry with information about countries in which serious human rights violations are being committed (according to their severity as defined by international law), such as torture, cruel punishment and prolonged detention without charge.
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“The people of Israel returned to the land of Israel in order to be a moral lighthouse, to show justice and integrity to the world, ” Glick said. “If we are forced to produce weapons then they have to be in order to protect lives rather than take lives in an immoral manner. This is our moral obligation.”
While the Defense Ministry is not prepared to divulge details of its policies involving the Israeli export of weapons, the proposed bill contains the findings of an investigation which sheds light on the matter. By the end of 2013, reads the investigation, the Defense Ministry issued defense export licences to 130 countries consisting of very few democracies.
Furthermore, a UN report reveals that over the years, Israel has issued defense exports to countries that have seriously violated human rights, such Chad (during the bloody civil war) Rwanda, Congo, Kenya, Honduras, Colombia, South Sudan and others.
“We cannot allow ourselves to continue to turn a blind eye when Israeli products are being used for serious crimes and are used against innocent civilians, ” said Zandberg. “The economic interests cannot justify the spilling of blood and the cooperation with groups and governments that carry out crimes against humanity.”
Despite his public image as somewhat of a radical, Glick’s actions, since he was inaugurated into the Knesset, have revealed a personality very much at odds with that surrounding the perception of his political dispositions, with much of his focus being dedicated to promoting co-existence and human rights. Moreover, he has not hesitated in the past to criticize right-wing elements and also does not shy away from forging alliances with leftists on issues close to his heart.
Glick has been one of the most prominent activists for permitting Jews to pray on the Temple Mount which is currently forbidden. He was seriously wounded following an attempted assassination after a Palestinian terrorist shot him in Jerusalem.
