In a dramatic policy shift that underscores Israel’s hardline stance against domestic terror, the government has initiated the first-ever deportation of Israeli citizens convicted of terrorism who receive financial support from the Palestinian Authority. This unprecedented move follows a confidential Knesset committee meeting and represents the most forceful application yet of a 2023 law empowering the state to revoke citizenship from enemies within.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and Coalition Whip Ofir Katz issued a joint announcement confirming that four individuals are already in the advanced stages of being stripped of their Israeli citizenship and deported, with legal proceedings launched against hundreds more.
הבטחתי - וקיימתי.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 28, 2025
החל מהיום יחל הליך לשלילת אזרחות וגירוש מחבלים ישראלים.
מי שבוחר ברצח ובשנאה – יגורש, אזרחותו תישלל והוא ישלם את מלוא המחיר.
נמשיך לפעול ביד ברזל נגד הטרור ולא ניתן למחבלים לשבת כאן בנוחות – נרדוף אותם מבית ומחוץ. pic.twitter.com/aDbZreBbiM
“Terrorists and terror supporters who are citizens or residents of Israel will receive no reward for their actions,” declared Defense Minister Katz. “Those who choose murder and hatred over loyalty to the state will be deported and permanently cast out.”
Adding to this, Minister Katz posted on X: "We will continue to act with an iron fist against terrorism and will not allow terrorists to sit here comfortably – we will pursue them at home and abroad."
This bold step comes in the wake of a high-level, classified session in the Knesset’s House Committee, attended by Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, who reviewed the implementation progress of the February 2023 amendment to Israel’s Citizenship Law. That amendment authorizes the revocation of citizenship or residency from individuals convicted of terror-related offenses—specifically those proven to have received money from the Palestinian Authority in recognition or reward for such acts.
Coalition Whip Ofir Katz, who spearheaded the legislative change, described the move as a “historic moment for Israeli sovereignty and justice.”
“In the fight against terror, there are no compromises,” he stated. Posting on his X account, Katz added “I promised it and I am keeping it (the promise)! The expulsion of terrorists from the State of Israel begins!”
הבטחתי ומקיים! גירוש מחבלים ממדינת ישראל מתחיל! pic.twitter.com/94ZbLBt1NH
— אופיר כץ Ofir Katz (@OfirKatzMK) May 28, 2025
A Law with Teeth: Targeting the Terror Economy
The 2023 amendment to the 1952 Citizenship Law allows the government to strip citizenship or permanent residency from any person convicted of terrorism, aiding terror, inciting war, undermining Israeli sovereignty, or collaborating with enemy forces during wartime.
Crucially, the law does not require the individual to hold alternative citizenship—as long as they have legal permanent residence in another country, they can be deported and barred from re-entering Israel. This closes a loophole previously used by terror convicts to exploit the protections of citizenship while acting as fifth-column agents from within.
The Palestinian Authority's "Pay-for-Slay" Scheme
The move also takes aim at the Palestinian Authority’s infamous “Martyrs Fund”—a stipend program that rewards imprisoned terrorists and the families of those killed while committing attacks against Israelis. Israel has long condemned this practice as financial incentivization of murder, and this latest crackdown sends a clear signal: no Israeli citizen will be allowed to collect blood money while enjoying the benefits and protections of the state they attack.
