Netanyahu Seeks First Use of Law to Strip Citizenship From Two Palestinian Terror Convicts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian citizens convicted of terrorism offenses and receiving payments from a Palestinian Authority fund, in what officials say is the first use of a 2023 law allowing denationalization and deportation on those grounds. Court filings target Jerusalem resident Mohammad Ahmad, convicted in 2002 of a shooting attack and imprisoned for 23 years, and Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al‑Halsi, serving an 18‑year sentence for stabbing elderly women, alleging both were paid by a PA program Netanyahu calls 'rewards' for violence. Under the law, citizens or permanent residents convicted of acts deemed a 'breach of loyalty' to Israel and found to have received PA stipends can be stripped of status and removed to Gaza upon completion of their sentences, with Ahmad facing immediate deportation and al‑Halsi’s expulsion to follow his release. Civil‑rights groups such as Adalah argue the statute is discriminatory because it effectively applies only to Palestinian citizens and permanent residents, not Jewish Israelis, even in cases where Israeli settlers are convicted of violent attacks against Palestinians. The move comes as Western governments, including the U.S., watch closely how Israel balances counterterrorism policies with equal‑protection and citizenship norms that are central to its legal system and to human‑rights assessments that shape foreign aid and diplomatic engagement.