Knesset committee urges Attorney General to expedite residency revocation for resistance fighters

The chair of the Knesset’s Internal Affairs Committee urged Israel’s Attorney General to expedite the revocation of residency for alleged “terrorists”, speaking in a meeting on the issue on Monday.

During the discussions, MK Yoav Kisch (Likud) called on the Attorney General “to approve the request to revoke the resident status of 20 people” said by authorities to be “involved in terror”. Ten Palestinians have already had their resident status revoked since a new law went into effect.

“I want to hear within two weeks that the matter has been referred to the Interior Minister,” Kisch said.

“The law we passed to revoke the permanent resident status of anyone involved in terror does not have practical implications on the ground,” Kisch said, “and the terrorists continue to receive national insurance payments.”

“We will examine how the law can be amended so that terrorists will be banned from living [in the area where the terror attack took place], similar to the law which drives out sex offenders,” he added.

Kisch declared that “the Committee will examine legislation that will allow [the State] to revoke permanent resident status, but will not replace it with temporary resident status, which still grants the person his full rights. We will define a status that will allow only work, and not any other right.”

MK Anat Berko said: “When we speak of revoking resident status or demolishing homes, it should happen immediately. The punishment cannot be [held up] in the High Court of Justice for 11 years.”

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