Pay for Slay leads to deportation following citizenship revocation
Peloni
Coalition whip, MK Ofir Katz celebrated the initiation of enactments of his 2023 law stripping terrorists of Israeli citizenship and deporting them to either the PA controlled territories or Gaza. Screengrab via Youtube
The first implementation of a 2023 law allowing for the revocation of citizenship from individuals convicted of terrorism was signed on February 10 by PM Netanyahu. The signed orders strip the terrorists of Israeli citizenship following which they will be deported, having been previously convicted of deadly attacks against their fellow Israeli civilians. This marks a historic first application of the law providing for deportation of terrorists to either the PA controlled territories or the Gaza Strip, the latter being reported as being where the two deportees will be bound.
The men identified in the deportation orders are Mahmoud Ahmad and Hussein al-Halsi. The Ahmad was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for multiple shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians and was released in 2024; his deportation is expected to take place immediately. Al-Halsi was sentenced to 18 years for a 2016 stabbing attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon HaNatziv, where he targeted elderly women. His deportation will take place following his release.
Both are reported to have received financial support from the Palestinian Authority under its “Pay for Slay” program, a key criterion under the 2023 law,
Based on an amendment to Israel’s 1952 Citizenship Law, passed in February 2023, the interior minister, with approval from the justice minister and an advisory committee, is empowered to petition courts for the revocation of citizenship. Notably, the law allows revocation even if the individual becomes stateless, provided they hold permanent residency outside Israel. Coalition Whip, Likud MK Ofir Katz sponsored the 2023 law which was passed with strong bi-partisan support of 94 MKs supporting the bill with only 10 Arab MKs voting against it. Katz described the current decision as a turning point in Israel’s fight against terrorism. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed further that proceedings have begun to be brought against hundreds of individuals believed to be receiving PA stipends for similar terror activities. PM Netanyahu thanked MK Katz for having promoted the bill and announced that the current two cases will be the first of many more to follow.
The law and its implementation have faced strong opposition. Critics, including Adalah, an Israeli legal group representing Arab citizens, condemned the move as a violation of international law, warning it enables the exile of Palestinian citizens and undermines the fundamental right to citizenship.
Arab lawmakers labeled the law as racist. The irony of their claim rests upon the fact that one of the three stipulations of the law requires that potential deportees be receiving payments from the PA’s Pay For Slay program, thus making Jews ineligible for the application of the law. In fact, the law recognizes the relationship which exists between potential deportees and the PA based upon the financial largess awarded to them by the terror sponsorship of the Pay for Slay program, providing the basis on which citizenship revocation and deportation are enacted.
An important possible amendment of this law, however, could be made to include Jews who are shown to have carried out espionage against the state while in the pay of Iran, thus addressing a rising concern of Iranian spies in Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-886237
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