Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens
The Israeli parliament has passed a law allowing the government to deport the family members of individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses, including Israeli citizens.
The controversial legislation, introduced by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, targets first-degree relatives—such as parents, siblings, or children—of those convicted of committing or supporting acts of terrorism.
Israeli human rights groups have criticized the law as unconstitutional.
Some opposition Knesset members have argued that the law is aimed specifically at Palestinian citizens of Israel, sometimes referred to as Israeli Arabs.
The law permits the deportation of relatives of individuals who had prior knowledge of terrorism-related activities but failed to report them to authorities, or those who have expressed support for or identification with terrorism.
Family members of those who publicly praised, sympathized with, or encouraged terrorism or terrorist organizations could also face deportation.
The deportation would be ordered by the interior minister. Some Knesset members raised concerns during the debate that the law might not be applied to Jewish citizens of Israel, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Opposition lawmaker Merav Michaeli pointed out, “Yigal Amir’s family will not be deported anywhere,” referring to the assassin of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a Jewish extremist.
Mickey Levy asked, “Will you deport Ben Gvir’s family?” referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was convicted in his youth for incitement to violence and supporting a terrorist group.
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli political analyst, told the BBC that there was “no question” the law is aimed at Israeli Arabs and Palestinians.
“It is very unlikely that a Jewish citizen of Israel would ever be deported under this law,” Dr. Scheindlin stated, noting that the law’s provisions and the way terrorism is defined in Israel make it improbable for Jewish citizens to be affected, especially considering that Jewish acts of violence against Palestinians are rarely categorized as terrorism.
About 20% of the country’s population are Palestinian citizens of Israel.
A truck that hit a bus stop in central Israel last month was driven by a man identified by authorities as a Palestinian citizen of Israel.
Many Israeli Arabs have also been convicted for posting support or sympathy for Hamas on social media since 7 October last year.
Both the justice ministry and the attorney general’s office have raised concerns about how the legislation, which will likely be challenged in court, can be enforced.
Eran Shamir-Borer, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former international law expert for the Israeli military, said that if the legislation reached the Supreme Court, it would likely to be struck down.
“The bottom line is this is completely non-constitutional and a clear conflict to Israel’s core values,” Mr Shamir-Borer told the Associated Press news agency.
Those deported will be sent to Gaza or to “another destination determined according to the circumstances”.
Other than the military, ordinary Israeli citizens are not legally allowed to enter Gaza.
About 100 Israelis are thought to be being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, including around 60 who are thought to still be alive.
Israeli citizens would retain their citizenship even after being expelled from the country. They would not be allowed to return for between seven and 15 years.
Permanent residents could be deported for between 10 and 20 years.
The majority of the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem hold permanent Israeli residency.
In addition, a five-year temporary order was approved allowing for prison sentences for children under the age of 14 convicted of murder as part of an act of terrorism or as part of the activities of a terrorist organisation.
