Center for the Defence of the Individual - In a draconian step the Minister of the Interior decided to initiate proceedings for the revocation of the status of 13 persons, including minors, residing in East Jerusalem. Their only sin: kinship to the perpetrator who carried out the attack in Armon HaNatziv
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חזרה לעמוד הקודם
17.01.2017

In a draconian step the Minister of the Interior decided to initiate proceedings for the revocation of the status of 13 persons, including minors, residing in East Jerusalem. Their only sin: kinship to the perpetrator who carried out the attack in Armon HaNatziv

A few days after the attack on January 8, 2017, in Armon HaNatziv in Jerusalem, twelve relatives of the perpetrator received notice of the intention of the Minister of the Interior to revoke their status in Israel. The excuse for the revocation of status: "Following the attack… information was received according to which several members of your extended family are suspect of having connections with ISIS and involvement in terror activity. Therefore a security risk is posed by your continued presence in Israel." Among those who received the notice in this form were also two minors, eight and ten years of age, nephews of the perpetrator.

The mother of the perpetrator is the 13th person who received notice of the intention to revoke her status in Israel; a woman who has been living in Jerusalem for about thirty years, built a home and raised children and is deeply rooted in her family and community. After all these years, and with a clear connection to the acts of her son, the Minister of the Interior decided to revoke her status in Israel: "Data were presented from your file in the Population Authority indicating that you received your status by virtue of marriage with an Israeli citizen, when despite the fact that it was declared that the marriage was not bigamous, in fact bigamous marital relationships existed."

Seven members of the family are represented by HaMoked in proceedings against the revocation of their status, including the perpetrator's mother; twelve members of the family reside with their families in East Jerusalem by virtue of a family unification procedure. The mother of the family holds the status of an Israeli resident, in light of her marriage, many years ago, with a resident of the city.

The revocation of status of the family members due to the act of another person is totally inappropriate and constitutes both an act of revenge and collective punishment. Expelling persons from their homes is a draconian punitive measure, completely contrary to the Geneva Convention which prohibits forcible transfer of inhabitants of an occupied territory.

Following HaMoked's objection to the opportunistic act conceived by the Minister of the Interior, who directed the family members to attend a hearing prior to the revocation of their status forthwith, from one day to the next, all hearings were postponed to January 17, 2017, and for the two immediately following days.