An Israel ministerial legal committee approved a bill on Sunday that imposes tougher sentences on stone throwers. The bill, which will have to go through a number of parliament readings before it comes into effect, could see protesters spend up to 10 years in prison, if found guilty, The Times of Israel reported.
The bill would revise an existing law, which penalizes stone throwers for 20 years – as long as "intent was to cause harm" can be proven.
Israel's new Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, criticized the law on the basis that proving intent is extremely difficult, particularly in situations where stone throwing takes place during massive street protests.
The bill, if adopted into law, would see stone throwers serve a 10-year jail sentence for "throwing stones or other objects at travelling vehicles in a manner that could endanger passenger safety" or cause "any harm to the vehicle," according to The Guardian,
Shaked took to social media to announce the approval of the new bill, "The amendment to the law effectively places the responsibility on the stone thrower and not the prosecutor," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Anyone who throws stones at cars or people has to assume someone will get hurt," The Guardian reported.
Stone throwing incidents take place on a daily basis on the West Bank roads where Palestinians attack Israeli cars. Clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli police in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have also included stone throwing.
