TEL AVIV – With the endorsement of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, lawmakers on Sunday submitted a proposal to strip Arab Israeli terrorists of their citizenship in response to Friday’s terror attack in Jerusalem.
Following the murder of Israeli Border Police Staff Sgt. Hadas Malka, MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beteinu) proposed the bill that would revoke citizenship, residency, or work permits of Arab terrorists or their relatives. According to the draft, if the interior minister finds that the relative had no involvement in the attack, his or her permit would retain its validity.
According to Ilatov, more and more Israeli citizens and Jerusalem residency permit holders have assisted in recent terror attacks. He said he hoped the bill, which has been dubbed the “Hadas Malka Bill,” would deter such attacks in the future.
“We will no longer allow the absurd [situation] in which terrorists and those who aid terrorism carry blue [Israeli] ID cards and enjoy the rights and benefits of citizens, while acting to annihilate us,” Ilatov said.
“This bill is necessary for our security in order to prevent terrorists from being able to carry out their attacks,” he added.
The legislation also calls for National Insurance eligibility to be stripped from terrorists.
A similar bill was proposed in the past by the late Yisrael Beteinu MK David Rotem.
Armed with an automatic weapon and knives, three Palestinian terrorists carried out attacks at two locations on Friday near the Damascus Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City, wounding four people and killing Malka.
Malka was part of a group of officers who responded to shots heard in the area of the attack. She was stabbed to death when she arrived. Other officers shot and killed the terrorists.
Malka was described by her family as a “fighter who loved people.”
The Damascus Gate has been a flashpoint for several so-called “lone wolf” attacks since the latest wave of violence began in October 2015.
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