The Israeli government ratified a law on 15 February that would grant Tel Aviv the authority to revoke the residency or citizenship of Palestinians who have partaken in “acts of terror” and deport them to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The legislation reportedly is exclusive to Palestinian residents in Israel and East Jerusalem. The proposal was passed by the Israeli Knesset, which won 94 to 10 votes a day prior, gaining support from the far-right coalition government and opposition parties.

The legislation entails that those sentenced to prison over offenses that go against the “trust of the state of Israel” or have received funds from the Palestinian Authority (PA) will have their residency and citizenship revoked, depending on the severity of the crime.  

Last week, Saba Pipia, legal adviser at the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Center (DIHLC) in Jerusalem, told the Middle East Eye that this new policy disregards international law and amounts to a war crime.

“Article 45 of the Hague Regulations prohibits the occupying power from compelling inhabitants of the occupied territory to swear allegiance to it,” said Pipia. “Therefore, Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are not obliged to be loyal to the State of Israel, the occupying power.”

Since the appointment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist coalition government after winning the majority vote in the 1 November 2022 election, Israeli aggression against Palestinians has increased.

Last month, the Israeli military announced its deployment of three additional battalions to the West Bank due to heightened tensions between the Israeli army and the Palestinian resistance.

On top of this, Netanyahu’s government is currently debating loosening weapons license regulations to allow more settlers to arm themselves in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to Israeli media, there are discussions about distributing “thousands of weapons” to settlers. 

Netanyahu is also expected to put forward a law to deport the families of Palestinian resistance fighters. Additionally, the cabinet will discuss arresting the relatives and close associates of the perpetrators of the attacks.