Israel’s Knesset passes bill to withdraw nationality from Palestinian detainees

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Qais Abu Samra

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading a bill to withdraw citizenship from Palestinian prisoners who received financial aid from the Palestinian Authority.

The bill was passed by 71-9 votes in the 120-seat Knesset, according to the assembly’s website.

It will now be forwarded to the Knesset Committee to decide when to put it up for a first-reading vote.

Under Israeli law, the draft law must pass a preliminary reading, followed by three readings before it becomes law.

“A prisoner convicted of carrying out operations and sentenced to imprisonment will be deemed to have renounced their nationality or permanent residence permit, as the case may be, if it is proven to the Minister of Interior that they received funds from the Palestinian Authority,” the draft says.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry quickly condemned the Israeli bill as a “flagrant violation of international law.”

“The law is a reflection of the program of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's extreme right-wing government, which does not recognize the existence of the Palestinian people and their legitimate national rights,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry called on the international community and the US administration “to stop the Israeli government from implementing racist legislation."

Arab citizens of Israel hold Israeli citizenship, while Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem have permanent resident status under Israeli law.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report