Tel Aviv: Israeli occupation authorities have begun the process of revoking the citizenship and deporting four Palestinian citizens from the 1948 Territories, who are currently imprisoned in Israel. This action is being taken on the grounds that the individuals allegedly received financial stipends from the Palestinian National Authority during their time in incarceration.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Israeli 'Defense' Minister Yisrael Katz has stated that the cases of these four individuals are in advanced stages under a law that allows for the revocation of Israeli citizenship from those convicted of receiving funds from the Palestinian Authority. Katz emphasized the potential consequences, including deportation, citizenship revocation, and financial penalties, for anyone who, in his view, chooses a path of violence and animosity.
Katz did not reveal the identities of the detainees facing these actions, nor did he specify where they might be deported if the decision proceeds. The legal basis for this move stems from an amendment to the Citizenship Law passed on February 15, 2023, by the Knesset with a substantial majority. This amendment grants the Minister of Interior the authority to request the Supreme Court to revoke citizenship from Palestinian citizens of the 1948 Territories or to strip permanent residency from Palestinian citizens of occupied East Jerusalem if they are found to have received financial support from the Palestinian Authority.