- Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem will lose their residency status.
- An overwhelming majority of MPs supported the bill.
- Critics claim it is racist and violates international law.
Israel has passed legislation that will strip the citizenship of Israeli Arabs convicted of terrorism and receive financial assistance from the Palestinian Authority (PA).
It is also possible that Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem will lose their residency status.
An overwhelming majority of MPs supported the bill, claiming that individuals impacted had betrayed the Israeli state.
Critics claim it is racist and violates international law by depriving people of their citizenship.
The PA’s monthly stipends for Palestinian prisoners who have carried out attacks on Israelis or their families have long been a source of contention.
Israel describes them as a “pay for slay” policy that encourages violence.
It has already acted to freeze bank accounts or seize assets of persons with Israeli citizenship or Jerusalem residence rights who it suspected of receiving financial assistance.
Many Palestinians regard the detainees in Israeli jails as nationalist heroes, and the PA regards the funds provided to them as social welfare.
It was argued in parliament that the new legislation might affect hundreds of convicts.
They could be deported to PA-controlled areas of the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip in the end.
After months of growing fatal violence, including Israeli operations on militants in the West Bank and Palestinian street attacks on Israelis, the measure had widespread support in Israel’s parliament.
It was passed by 94 votes to 10, despite severe political divisions, with members of the hard-right government coalition and opposition parties voting in favor.
Ofir Katz, a member of the prime minister’s Likud party in Israel, who headed the joint group that produced the plan, thought it would bring solace to bereaved families.
“I hope that this step we are taking today is the dawn of a new era. I know and feel from the bottom of my heart that such laws are our true mission as elected officials,” he said.
“I say unequivocally, a terrorist who receives money from the Palestinian Authority should fly from here to Gaza, anywhere else.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the law as “the ugliest form of racism.”
Opposition MPs said the bill was discriminatory since it did not apply to Jewish Israelis convicted of attacks on Palestinians or other major crimes.
“For example, Yigal Amir murdered a prime minister – not only was his citizenship not revoked but there was also no proposal,” said Ahmed Tibi, referring to the Israeli Jewish extremist who assassinated the former prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin.
Approximately one-fifth of Israelis are Arab citizens who frequently identify as and with Palestinians.
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