In a statement announcing the move, Netanyahu said the two terrorists \u201cwere rewarded for their criminal acts by the Palestinian Authority,\u201d and thanked MK Katz for spearheading the legislation \u201cthat will expel them from Israel \u2014 and many more like them are on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two terrorists are identified as Mahmoud Ahmad \u2014 sentenced to 23 years in prison for shooting attacks against soldiers and civilians \u2014 and Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi \u2014 sentenced in 2016 to 18 years for stabbing elderly women in Armon HaNatziv, in a statement from MK Katz cited by the Ynet news site. Ahmad was released in 2024 and will be deported immediately, while al-Hals will be deported upon his release, the report added.<\/p>\n
The Walla news site reported that the two terrorists will be deported to the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister\u2019s Office did not immediately confirm the deportation destination.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter dozens of discussions I held over supervision and review for implementing the law, it is finally happening,\u201d Katz said in a video statement. \u201cThis is how you fight terror.\u201d<\/p>\n \t In response to Netanyahu\u2019s announcement, Adalah, a legal aid organization representing Arab Israelis, commented: \u201cThese deportation orders allow Palestinian citizens of Israel to be physically exiled from their homeland. The government has transformed the most fundamental human right into a conditional permit that can be revoked at will. This unprecedented move violates the absolute international prohibition against statelessness and destroys the most foundational basic protection of citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n The law, an amendment to Israel\u2019s 1952 Citizenship Law, applies to both Israeli citizens and permanent residents incarcerated following a conviction for terror, aiding terror, harming Israeli sovereignty, inciting war, or aiding an enemy during wartime, and enables the interior minister to revoke their status after a hearing.<\/p>\n The law enables citizenship to be revoked even if the person lacks a second citizenship, provided they have a permanent residence status outside of Israel. Once citizenship is revoked, the person would be denied entry back into Israel.<\/p>\n The requirement to receive PA-linked money makes the law inapplicable to Jewish terrorists. Arab lawmakers who opposed the bill at the time labeled the law\u2019s tailoring to carve out Jewish terrorists as \u201cracist.\u201d<\/p>\n It also faced a warning from a Justice Ministry adviser<\/a>, who counseled lawmakers against provisions that let them strip citizenship from terrorists on the basis of their holding permanent residency in the PA, even if the PA denies the connection.<\/p>\n Citizenship and residency can be revoked at the request of the interior minister, who has to consult with an advisory committee and obtain the approval of the justice minister before making his recommendation to the courts.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tLikud MK Ofir Katz leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on December 29, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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