In the petition of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the court stated that in accordance with the state’s announcement, from the findings of the investigation so far it appears that thousands of firearms licenses were granted in the relevant period”
Today, July 25, the supreme court held a hearing on the petitions submitted by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and the Labor Party faction regarding the granting of firearms licenses by the ministry of national security since the outbreak of the Iron Swords war.
In the decision given at the end of the hearing, the judges noted that following an ex parte hearing with investigators, the respondents agreed to provide a paraphrase according to which “from the findings of the investigation so far it appears that thousands of firearms licenses were granted during the relevant period. With the necessary caution we note that upon initial examination it appears that most of them were distributed to people who pass the tests set forth in the regulations.”
The court ordered the respondents to submit details regarding the ongoing investigation in a sealed envelope by August 8, 2024. It was also determined that there will be another hearing in November or December to discuss the tests set forth in the regulations and the legality of the certification of those performing national service and those not in public service to be involved in the granting of these licenses.
Adv. Rotem Bavli Dvir, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel said in response: “We welcome the court’s decision to make part of the findings of the investigation public. However, in the relevant period, tens of thousands of firearms were distributed, of which the state only reported about thousands that do pass the tests. It is important to remember that even if most of the licenses were apparently granted legally, any license granted illegally poses a real danger to public safety. We will continue to monitor the development of the criminal investigation, and at the same time demand that the state deal with the firearms that were distributed without authority.”
