Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested the revocation of citizenship for two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism, marking the first application of a controversial deportation law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken a significant step by asking a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism offenses. This action represents the first application of a contentious law enacted three years ago that allows for the revocation of citizenship and subsequent deportation of Palestinian citizens convicted of specific violent crimes, including terrorism.
In court documents filed on Thursday, Netanyahu argued that the severity of the crimes committed by the two men, along with financial support they allegedly received from a Palestinian Authority fund, justifies their citizenship revocation and expulsion from Israel. The Prime Minister has long maintained that this fund rewards acts of violence, including attacks on civilians.
Palestinian officials, however, contend that the fund serves as a safety net for a broad cross-section of society with family members in Israeli detention. They have accused Netanyahu of focusing on a relatively small number of beneficiaries who have carried out attacks, rather than addressing the larger context of the situation.
When the law was passed, critics argued that it allowed Israel’s legal system to treat Jewish and Palestinian citizens differently. Civil rights groups expressed concern that the deportation law, which is based on payments from the Palestinian Authority, effectively excluded Jewish Israelis—including settlers convicted of attacks against Palestinians—from the risk of losing their citizenship. This has raised accusations of racial discrimination within the legal framework.
Netanyahu announced this week that the government has initiated proceedings against the two men and indicated that similar cases would be pursued in the future. Israeli officials identified one of the men, Mohamad Ahmad, a citizen from Jerusalem, who was convicted of offenses classified as acts of terrorism and for receiving funds in connection with those acts. Ahmad allegedly received payments following a 2002 shooting attack and served 23 years in prison, with his release scheduled for 2024.
The second individual, Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi, was sentenced in 2016 to 18 years in prison for stabbing elderly women. He is also reported to have received payments while incarcerated. Under the 2023 law, Ahmad would be deported immediately, while al-Halsi would face removal to Gaza upon completing his sentence. The law applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of acts deemed a breach of loyalty to the State of Israel, including terrorism.
Hassan Jabareen, the general director of Israel’s Adalah legal center, criticized the government’s move to utilize the law, calling it “a cynical propaganda move” by Netanyahu. He argued that stripping individuals of their citizenship violates fundamental principles of the rule of law, particularly by targeting those who have already completed their prison sentences.
“The Israeli government is attempting to strip individuals of the very foundation through which all rights are protected, their nationality,” Jabareen stated on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.