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The New Government Must Pass the Law Removing the Citizenship of Terrorists

Today, January 5, a few days after the establishment of the right-wing government, the terrorist Karim Younes, who murdered the soldier Avraham Bromberg, is expected to be released after 40 years in prison. Most likely, he will be greeted by hundreds of supporters with PLO flags. These celebrations will come at our expense, the bereaved families who lost loved ones in terror attacks. We can only hope that the police and immigration authorities will take this terrorist and throw him into the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority. This option depends only on the new government. After the previous elections, before Naftali Bennett formed his government, bereaved parents from the Choosing Life forum came to his office in the Knesset. We sat outside and waited for him to see us. Bennett spoke to us about the importance of unity. We asked him one question: “Will you enact a law to revoke citizenship for terrorists?” Bennett replied in the negative. At this point, we turned from being his supporters to being the biggest opponents of the government. Eleven days after the release of Karim Younes, his cousin Maher Younes, his accomplice in the murder, is also expected to be released. This coming March, Munir Rajavi, who initiated and planned an attack and brought a terrorist to Haifa in 2003, is expected to be released. The law to remove the citizenship of terrorists who receive a salary from the Palestinian Authority is one of the most important laws in the deterrence package against terrorism, which is promoted by the forum of bereaved families. Previously, some legal experts claimed that according to international law, citizens cannot be left without citizenship and that, therefore, terrorists will have to remain in Israel and continue receiving social benefits and welfare. This is simply unacceptable to us. Therefore, together with attorney Morris Hirsch, we promoted a bill that binds the terrorists to the Palestinian Authority. In the 24th Knesset, many politicians from the left wing endorsed this bill since the issue of deporting terrorists crosses political lines. The incoming government needs to come to its senses, understand the importance of the law for Israel’s security, and legislate it immediately. Meirav and Herzl Hajaj, parents of Lt. Shir Hajaj who was murdered by a terrorist in 2017 (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)