Israel Knesset passes law to deport Arab prisoners

The Israeli Knesset yesterday passed a law to revoke the citizenship and residency status of Arab citizens of Israel who have been imprisoned by the occupation state and received salaries from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The law, which gives the interior minister authority to revoke the citizenship of prisoners and deport them to the West Bank or Gaza, was passed by 95 votes for and nine against.

Commenting on the passing of the law, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel – Adalah said: “This law not only creates an additional avenue for the revocation of the citizenship or residency of Palestinians, which further undermines the precarious status of Palestinians under the Israeli regime, but also facilitates their expulsion, all in violation of international law.”

“The Israeli Supreme Court has previously dismissed claims of discrimination when it approved the existing track of citizenship revocation, which itself stood in breach of international law.”

The Knesset has now passed yet another measure that explicitly and exclusively targets Palestinians, in pursuit of its commitment to establish two separate legal systems based on Jewish supremacy.

In Israel, a Palestinian or an Arab citizen who carries out any legitimate act of resistance against the Israeli occupation is considered a terrorist.

READ: New Israel law allows stripping residency of Palestinians convicted of terrorism