[deportation] Israel to revoke citizenship, residency of Palestinian prisoners

Middle East Monitor  /  January 31, 2023

The Knesset yesterday approved the first reading of a bill allowing the revocation of Israeli citizenship and permanent residency licenses from Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli parliament said in a press statement published on its website.

“The bill proposes to stipulate that when a person has been convicted of committing an act of terrorism and has been sentenced to prison, he shall be considered to have relinquished his citizenship or permanent residency license … if it is proved to the satisfaction of the Minister of Interior that he has received payment from the Palestinian Authority, directly or indirectly, for committing the act,” the Knesset statement reads.

The draft law seems to target former prisoners Karim and Maher Younes, who were recently released after spending 40 years in Israeli prisons. The brothers are residents of Israel. After their release earlier this month, Israeli authorities harassed them, confiscating money and a vehicle belonging to their relatives