Palestinians denounce new Israeli expulsion law as ‘the ugliest form of racism’

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned a new Israeli law that facilitates the expulsion of Palestinian prisoners and their families, with the Palestinian foreign ministry calling it “the ugliest form of racism.”

The resistance movement said in a statement on Wednesday that Israel’s law violates the rights of Palestinians in their ancestral land and is aimed at paving the way for their forceful expulsion.

The Israeli parliament passed a law earlier in the day that allows the Tel Aviv regime to revoke the residency status or citizenship of those who have been engaged in activism against the occupation of Palestinian lands, and deport them either to the occupied West Bank or the besieged Gaza Strip.

The bill was passed in the Knesset by 94 votes to 10 on Wednesday. It was fast-tracked through parliament following an escalation of tensions across West Bank towns and cities in recent months.

The law stipulates that those sentenced to prison, and who have received a form of funding from the Palestinian Authority (PA) can have their citizenship or residency revoked and be deported.

The Palestinian foreign ministry slammed the law as “the ugliest form of racism.”

Qadoura Fares, the chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners Association, said: "This is an unjust and racist law that aims to empty the land of its native residents and eject people from their homes."

Fares said the law was a “very dangerous decision that aims to transfer Palestinians from their cities and villages under the pretext of getting social assistance from the PA.”  

The new law will apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and permanent residents of occupied East al-Quds. The latter widely refuse Israeli citizenship and are issued residency IDs by Israel’s interior ministry. 

The Palestinian Authority gives stipends to families of Palestinian prisoners or detainees.

Adalah, an organization that advocates Palestinians' rights in Israel, said the law “not only creates an additional avenue for the revocation of the citizenship of residency of Palestinians … under the Israeli regime, but also facilitates their expulsion.”

“The law explicitly and exclusively targets Palestinians as part of Israel's entrenchment of two separate legal systems based on Jewish supremacy,” the group said in a statement.

'War crime': Israel approves law to deport Palestinian citizens to Gaza, West Bank

The Israeli parliament has passed a law that allows the Tel Aviv regime to revoke the residency status or citizenship of those engaged in activism against the occupation of Palestinian lands.

Ahmad Tibi, an Arab opposition lawmaker in the occupied territories, condemned the law as discriminatory.

“When an Arab commits a crime, they are a conditional citizen, whereas when a Jew commits even a more serious crime, revoking their citizenship is unheard of,” he said.

Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, discussions about withdrawing residencies and stripping away citizenship from Palestinians living in al-Quds have been floated, specifically for prisoners who have carried out retaliatory operations.

Israel has reportedly revoked the residency status of at least 14,701 Palestinians in East al-Quds from 1967 to 2020. The number will jump to 86,000 if the dependent children of those who had their residencies revoked are counted.

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