During a Monday evening meeting, the Knesset approved the first reading of a proposed bill to revoke the citizenship or residency of a terrorist operative who receives compensation for carrying out a terrorist act by the Palestinian Authority. 89 Knesset members supported the proposal compared to just eight who opposed it. The bill will be returned to the joint committee of the interior and Knesset committees for further debate and planning.
In the wording of the proposal, 'it is proposed to establish that an Israeli citizen or resident who has been convicted of a crime that is a breach of trust to the State of Israel and has been sentenced to actual imprisonment for that offense, and it has been proven that the Palestinian Authority rewards him for this, it will be possible to revoke his citizenship or his license for permanent residence.'
ISRAEL: Bill garners support even among Israel's opposition, with 89 votes in favor on first reading. A bill to revoke the citizenship of terrorists receiving compensation from the Palestinian Authority (PA) passed in Israeli’s parliament on its first reading Monday.
— Eretz Israel (@EretzIsrael) January 31, 2023
According to the bill, the permanent residence permit will be revoked by the Minister of the Interior only after consulting with an advisory committee and with the consent of the Minister of Justice. The revocation of citizenship will be conducted by the courts, at the request of the Minister of the Interior, after consultation with an advisory committee and with the consent of the Minister of Justice. The proposal will further help delimit the schedule for the process of revoking residency or citizenship.
The proposal reads: "These days, many people who hold Israeli citizenship or residency actually receive monthly salaries from the Palestinian Authority as wages and compensation for committing acts of terrorism. These salaries gradually increase with the seniority of the people in prison. It is unthinkable that citizens and residents of Israel not only betrayed the Israeli state and society but also agreed to receive payment from the Palestinian Authority as a reward for carrying out the act of terrorism and continue to benefit from it, will continue to hold Israeli citizenship or residency.
Bill to strip convicted terrorists of Israeli citizenship passes first reading 89-8. If legislation becomes law, Israel will be able to revoke citizenship or residency of convicted terrorists who receive payments from the Palestinian Authority [TOI] #PaleStinianTerrorism #Israel pic.twitter.com/Omql8ptUqk
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) January 30, 2023
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said in response: "I welcome the bill to revoke the citizenship or residency of a terrorist operative who received a reward for committing an act of terrorism that passed tonight in the Knesset. The bill that passed is one important step in a very broad basket of measures that will be taken in the fight against terrorists. We will continue to act with a hard and powerful grip against terrorism."
