Israel to expel hundreds of Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem residents alleging terrorism

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel is preparing Thursday to expel hundreds of Arabs and residents from East Jerusalem to Palestinian Authority areas, citing alleged ties to terrorism, according to Israeli army radio.

“Israel is on the verge of deporting hundreds of Israeli Arabs and residents of East Jerusalem who have been convicted of terrorism to the Palestinian Authority territories, with some of them set to be deported in the coming months,” it said.

This move comes after a modification to the Citizenship Law issued last February, according to the radio station.

“Israel is in the process of deporting 18 terrorists to Palestinian Authority territories in the first phase, with hundreds of other activists targeted for revoking their citizenship or canceling their residency,” it said.

While Arab citizens hold Israeli citizenship, Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem have permanent resident status.

The radio station noted that “the Economic Warfare Authority against Terrorism, in collaboration with the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security agency, has concluded an intelligence report regarding funds transferred by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists (released Palestinian prisoners) holding Israeli citizenship or residency.”

“The purpose of this report is to implement the law issued last February, requiring Interior Minister Moshe Arbel to sign the revocation of citizenship,” it said. “The law has not been applied so far because there was a legal problem in revoking the citizenship of people who do not have another nationality. Yet, this law, issued almost a year ago, stipulates that if someone receives money from the Palestinian Authority and has a clear connection to it, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel must sign their deportation.”

It pointed out that “there are 18 candidates for deportation initially, and the Interior Minister is supposed to sign the decision, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin is supposed to approve it. Terrorists have only one week left to appeal to the court,” it said.

The Israeli broadcaster said, “There are hundreds of other terrorists who meet the criteria, but the process will take more time and involve a considerable legal complexity in deporting them as well.”

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) approved the second and third readings of a bill on Feb. 15, 2023 to revoke the citizenship or cancel the residency of a prisoner receiving financial allocations from the Palestinian Authority.

The Knesset said, “94 deputies supported the bill, and 10 opposed it out of its 120 members.”​​​​​​​

It added: "The law stipulates that if an Israeli citizen or resident is convicted of committing a crime that constitutes a violation of loyalty to the State of Israel, sentenced to prison for this violation, and it is proven that the Palestinian Authority compensated him financially for that, it will be possible to revoke his citizenship or permanent residency and transfer him to Palestinian Authority territories or Gaza.”

“Many people holding Israeli citizenship or permanent residency receive monthly allocations from the Palestinian Authority as wages and compensation for committing hostile acts. These payments gradually increase in proportion to the person's imprisonment.”

The Adalah Arab Human Rights Center in Israel responded to the law. “Opposition parties and coalition members in the Israeli Knesset today teamed up to pass an additional racist law against Palestinians,” it said.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala