Proposed Israeli law would make it easier to expel Palestinian residents

An Israeli parliamentarian is planning to submit a new law for consideration that would make it easier to revoke Palestinians’ residency status.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the proposed bill by MK Amir Ohana (Likud) will “expand the interior minister’s authority to revoke permanent- residence status for security reasons”.

Ohana said he is drafting the law as a response to a Supreme Court decision earlier this month, which stated that the Interior Minister had no authority to revoke the residency status of four Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem, who were elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Ohana said his bill is designed to “circumvent the controversial ruling”, adding: “The High Court needed 139 pages to hide the simple truth that any fool – except the elitist judges – knows, that Israel has a right to defend itself”.

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The Likud MK also urged the Supreme Court to “stop the wild rampage of cancelling laws and Knesset and government decisions, and bring back the appropriate balance between branches” of state governance”. He said: “This is a country with rule of law, not rule of judges”.

The overwhelming majority of Palestinians resident in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel has illegally annexed, are residents, not Israeli citizens.