Israel passes law that will allow it to deport families of Palestinian attackers

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament passed a law early Thursday that will allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers, including the country’s own citizens, to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or elsewhere.

The law, which was supported by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his far-right allies, passed by a 61-41 vote but is likely to be challenged in court.

This would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of annexed east Jerusalem who had prior knowledge of attacks on their family members or who “express support or sympathy for a terrorist attack.”

They will be deported either to the Gaza Strip or elsewhere for a period of 7 to 20 years. The war between Israel and Hamas still rages in the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of people have been killed and large parts of the population forced to flee their homes, often multiple times.

It was unclear whether this would apply in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has long had a policy of demolishing the family homes of attackers. Palestinians have carried out numerous stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks against Israelis in recent years.

Dr. Eran Shamir-Bohrer, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former international law expert for the Israeli army, said that if the law were to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, it would likely be struck down based on previous Israeli cases involving deportations.

“The bottom line is that this is completely unconstitutional and clearly contrary to Israel’s core values,” Shamir-Borer said.

In the 1967 Mideast War, Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas that Palestinians want as their future state. It withdrew settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005 but reoccupied parts of the territory after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered the war.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem, a move that was not recognized by much of the international community. Palestinians there have permanent residence and are allowed to apply for citizenship, but most choose not to do so, and those who do face a number of obstacles.

Palestinians living in Israel make up about 20% of the country’s population. They have citizenship and the right to vote, but face widespread discrimination. Many of them also have close family ties to those in the territories, and most are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.