Israel passes law sanctioning force-feeding prisoners

Israel’s parliament on Thursday passed into law the ability to force-feed prisoners on hunger strike, a move that has met vehement opposition from the country’s medical association.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition weathered a lengthy parliamentary debate and the law passed with 46 in favour and 40 opposed in the 120-seat Knesset.

Israel has long been concerned that hunger strikes by Palestinians in its jails could end in death and trigger waves of protests in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

But Israel's Medical Association, which considers force- feeding a form of torture and medically risky, has urged Israeli doctors not to abide by the law.

The move comes a day after a report by Amnesty International said the Israeli military may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during last summer's Gaza war.

The watchdog made the claims about Israel's conduct after it carried out four days of intense bombardment in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants in which an Israeli soldier was captured.

Amnesty International’s report said Israeli forces carried out disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks, killing at least 135 civilians over the four days.

It says the military failed to independently probe the incident and called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate.

The 50 days of fighting in Gaza last year was the third and most devastating war between Hamas and Israel since the Islamic militants seized control of the territory in 2007 from the rival Palestinian Authority, dominated by president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party.

More than 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and 73 people on the Israeli side were killed in the fighting.

Agencies