Israel looks to expel terrorists, strip state benefits from families
NGO challenges ‘collective punishment’
the government on sunday instituted a series of severe measures to prevent further terror attacks from east jerusalem palestinian residents, including expelling terrorists.
“the acting interior minister and the attorney-general will submit draft legislation on revoking residency and citizenship of terrorists and removing them to the territory of the palestinian Authority,” the prime minister’s office stated after the weekly cabinet meeting on sunday.
the meeting was held in the aftermath of two palestinian terror attacks on shabbat, including one against a synagogue in jerusalem’s Neveh Ya’acov neighborhood that claimed seven lives. Both attacks were executed by east jerusalem palestinian residents.
“this morning we sealed the home of the terrorist who carried out the reprehensible [synagogue] attack in jerusalem; his home will be demolished,” Netanyahu said.
other measures include the immediate dismissal of workers who have supported terrorism, without any need for a hearing, the pmo said, adding that the labor minister and A-G have been asked to prepare a memorandum on legislation to that effect.
In an unusual move, the government decided to seal the city of David terrorist’s home, even though the two victims survived the attack.
Knesset legislation that would enhance deterrence against terror attacks will be fast-tracked, the government concluded.
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It also asked the shin Bet (Israeli security Agency) to “submit an immediate opinion on carrying out additional deterrent measures regarding the families of terrorists that express support for terrorism.”
Netanyahu told the government that the security cabinet that met on saturday night took a series of retaliatory and defensive measures.
this included increasing the deployment of security forces in sensitive areas and the immediate sealing off of the family home of the terrorist, Netanyahu explained.
the security cabinet also decided to strip national insurance benefits from family members of terrorists, he told the government. these measures are only applicable to those who engage in terror and who are residents or citizens of the state of Israel.
the government will discuss expediting gun licenses to thousands of Israeli citizens, including to medical emergency teams who are often among the first responders to a terror attack.
“ZAKA has 3,000 mobile
Ben-Gvir wants easier firearm licenses,
volunteers throughout the country. Only a small percentage of them are armed. Imagine if they and others were armed. Of course, this would significantly increase the response capability because as we have seen, time and again, including yesterday in the City of David, that heroic, armed and trained civilians save lives,” Netanyahu said.
In addition, he said, “we will decide soon on steps to strengthen settlement in Judea and Samaria in order to make it clear to the terrorists who seek to uproot us from our land that we are here to stay,” he said.
Prior to the security cabinet meeting on Saturday night, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested authorizing the E1 project – which would allow for close to 3,500 new settler homes to be built in Ma’aleh Adumim.
He also suggested that the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria authorize all the settler housing plans on its agenda.
On Sunday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested that the government immediately authorize seven outposts.
Netanyahu did not expand on the steps he would take to strengthen the settlements. He said he had “also instructed the director of the National Security Council to evaluate additional steps that came up before the security cabinet and which will be presented to the public later on.”
The PM recalled that he had come to the cabinet meeting after visiting those wounded in the terror attacks at the Shaare Zedek and Hadassah-Mt. Scopus hospitals in Jerusalem.
“We all wish them a speedy and complete recovery and stand with the medical teams that are treating them with boundless dedication,” Netanyahu said.
“The terrorists seek to slaughter us indiscriminately; therefore, we must all unite as one in the relentless fight against them. We will defeat them,” Netanyahu said.
He met later in the day with police officers who responded to the attack and residents who survived it.
The left-wing NGO HaMoked questioned the legality of the government’s actions, noting that they constituted “collective punishment against innocent people solely because they are related to the man who perpetrated the deadly attack Friday night.”
Police, it said, sealed off the family home of Khairi Alkam, who executed Friday’s synagogue attack. HaMoked wrote to the A-G, asking how such a move was legal without providing the family time to appeal. It also questioned the legality of stripping family members of terrorists of their rights.
In the past, HaMoked said, it has successfully challenged these forms of collective punishment, and “we are prepared to do so now.
“However, we are
aware that, alongside its attacks on the Palestinian population, Israel’s new government is actively working to undermine the authority of jurists and the independence of the judiciary. These efforts of course further erode the possibility of defending Palestinians’ human rights,” HaMoked said.