The new law seeks to combat “the unbearable ease with which daily use of Nazi terminology is made part of the public & political discourse”.
“We cannot make light of any use of Nazi symbols,” says MK Shimon Ohayon of the Yisrael Beytenu party.
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation on Sunday approved a bill that seeks to ban the use of Nazi symbols, attributes and language in Israel unless for historical, educational or documentary purposes.
The bill, whose language was reviewed by the Justice and Public Security ministries, will be presented to the Knesset for its preliminary reading in the coming days.
Explicit legislation barring the use of Nazi terminology currently exists in Germany, Poland and Hungary. Many other Western nations, especially in Europe, ban such use under anti-incitement laws.
The bill, promoted by MK Dr. Shimon Ohayon (Yisrael Beytenu), head of the Knesset lobby against anti-Semitism, seeks to make the use of Nazi symbols a criminal offense punishable by a 100,000 shekel ($28,700) fine and up to six months’ incarceration.
The bill seeks to ban the use of the term “Nazi” and any use of the swastika symbol, attire resembling concentration camp uniforms, a yellow Star of David or any other symbol that has a clear link to Nazism. The legislation allows such use for academic, documentary or historical purposes.
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View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=14691
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