Israel carried out the first use of a 2023 law allowing the revocation of citizenship from convicted
By Sammy,
Israel carried out the first use of a 2023 law allowing the revocation of citizenship from convicted terrorists after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed deportation orders Monday against two Israeli men responsible for stabbing and shooting attacks on civilians. Netanyahu said the pair had been financially rewarded by the Palestinian Authority for their actions and credited Likud MK Ofir Katz, who promoted the legislation, adding that more similar cases are expected. According to reports, the men are to be deported to the Gaza Strip.
The two were identified as Mahmoud Ahmad, sentenced to 23 years in prison for shooting attacks targeting soldiers and civilians and released in 2024, and Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi, who received an 18-year sentence in 2016 for stabbing elderly women in Jerusalem's Armon HaNatziv neighborhood. Ahmad is slated for immediate deportation, while al-Halsi will be expelled after completing his sentence. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Ofir Katz previously said proceedings had begun against hundreds of individuals believed to be receiving payments from the Palestinian Authority. Ofir Katz described the move as the result of extensive oversight efforts and a measure aimed at combating terror.
The action is based on an amendment to Israel's 1952 Citizenship Law that allows the interior minister, with the justice minister's approval and after consulting an advisory committee, to ask the courts to revoke citizenship or permanent residency from people convicted of terror-related crimes, including aiding an enemy during wartime. The law permits revocation even if a person lacks another nationality, provided they hold permanent status outside Israel. Arab lawmakers criticized the legislation as discriminatory because the requirement tied to Palestinian Authority-linked payments makes it inapplicable to Jewish extremists, and a Justice Ministry adviser had warned of legal concerns related to the risk of statelessness. Legal aid organization Adalah also condemned the deportations, saying they amount to the exile of Palestinian citizens of Israel and undermine fundamental protections associated with citizenship.
Topics: Gaza, IDF, Israeli Politics
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.