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israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu A court was asked on Thursday to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism crimes.
The effort appears to be the first use of a law enacted three years ago that allows for the revocation of citizenship and subsequent deportation of Palestinian citizens convicted of violent crimes such as terrorism and rewarded with financial support from the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu’s court filing said the seriousness of the crimes and the payments the men reportedly received from Palestinian Authority funds justified revoking their citizenship and deporting them from the Jewish state.
The Prime Minister has long claimed that the fund rewards violence, including attacks on civilians.
Trump says he would ‘absolutely’ revoke citizenship of natural offenders if he had the power
On July 4, 2024, a Palestinian man was released from the Israeli Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Maya Areruzo)
But Palestinian officials argue it is a safety net for all segments of society as well as family members detained by Israel. They also accuse Netanyahu of focusing on the relatively few beneficiaries of the attacks.
After the law was passed, critics argued that it allowed Israel’s legal system to treat Jews and Palestinians differently. Civil rights groups say a deportation law based on payments to the Palestinian Authority effectively excludes Jewish Israelis, including settlers convicted of attacking Palestinians, from the threat of losing their citizenship because the statute targets people of a specific race.
Netanyahu said this week that the government had launched proceedings against the two men and that similar cases would be filed in the future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism. (YAIR SAGI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli officials say Mohammed Ahmed, a citizen from Jerusalem, was found guilty of a “crime” constitute an act of terrorism and accepting terrorism-related funds. “He allegedly received the payment after being sentenced for a shooting attack in 2002 and was released in 2024 after serving 23 years.
Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2016 for stabbing an elderly woman. He also allegedly received payments while in prison.
Ahmed will be deported immediately, while Alhalsi will be deported upon release, as individuals will be subject to Transfer to Gaza Under the 2023 law, the law applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of “acts that violate loyalty to the State of Israel,” including terrorism, once their prison terms have ended.
After the law was passed, critics argued that it allowed Israel’s legal system to treat Jews and Palestinians differently. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)
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Hassan Jabalin, director of Israel’s Adala Legal Center, called Netanyahu’s use of the law a “cynical propaganda move.” He said stripping citizenship violated the most basic principles of the rule of law, including targeting people who had completed their prison sentences.
“The Israeli government is trying to deprive individuals of their nationality, the basis on which all rights are protected,” he said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
