In first, PM Netanyahu orders to revoke citizenship and deport Israeli-Arab terror convicts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday signed the first orders to revoke the citizenship and deport from the country two Israeli citizens who were convicted of terrorism against civilians.

The law allowing for the deportation of convicted terrorists was initially presented in 2023 by Defense Minister Israel Katz and coalition Knesset Member Ofir Katz of the Likud party. 

The bill passed in the Knesset with the support of 94 lawmakers. “For three years I have been pressuring the system so that my law will be implemented, and finally it is happening,” Katz said. “This is how we fight terrorism. History has been made these days.”

The law allows for the deportation of Israeli citizens convicted of terrorism who received financial support from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and applies to individuals who were sentenced to prison time, according to Netanyahu’s office.

The law requires the interior minister to notify the individual of the intent to petition the court to revoke their Israeli citizenship within seven working days, allowing the individual an opportunity to appeal.

If the assumption that the individual receives stipends from the PA is not contested – and the court revokes citizenship – the individual is deported from Israel to Palestinian Authority territory upon completion of their prison sentence.

“This morning, I signed the revocation of citizenship and deportation of two Israeli terrorists, who carried out stabbing and shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and were rewarded for their criminal actions by the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu said.

The first terrorist, Mahmoud Ahmed, served 23 years in prison after being convicted of a series of shooting attacks and will be deported to the Gaza Strip immediately, Netanyahu said.

The second terrorist, Mohammed Ahmed Hussein Halasi, was convicted in 2016 of stabbing two elderly women in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the crime and will be deported to Gaza upon his release.

“I thank Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz for leading the law that will expel them from the State of Israel, and many more like them are on the way,” Netanyahu said.

Security authorities are expected to review hundreds of files involving convicted terrorists who received payments from the PA to carry out attacks.