Lawmakers are set to vote today (Thursday, Nov. 6) on a new law to revoke Israeli citizenship of a convicted terrorist, anyone who helped him or her, and any of their relatives.
The bill, submitted by Yisrael Beytenu Knesset member Shimon Ohayon, allows but does not require the Interior Minister to make the final decision about who will lose their citizenship.
Those who stand to lose their citizenship will have the right to offer a defense before their rights are revoked.
“The fight against terrorism must be comprehensive and extensive,” Ohayon told journalists.
Benefits of citizenship in Israel include monthly stipends for children’s support from the National Insurance Institute, for instance, as well as other government financial support.
Taking away such benefits, said Ohayon, would be one way to create an alternative to the current situation in which terrorists enjoy the privileges granted to citizens by the State of Israel.
“It is absurd that someone can continue to benefit from the rights of an Israeli citizen while they want to harm or kill us. Nothing gets in their way because they are free to move around anywhere in the country – and this leads Israeli citizens to lose their basic sense of security,” Ohayon observed.