Israel’s Supreme Court of Israel rules that ‘breach of loyalty’ can lead to loss of citizenship
The decision upholds a 2008 law. Those who are affected and become stateless will be granted permanent residency
A view of the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. (Eddie Gerald via Getty Images)
(JTA) — The Supreme Court of Israel that the state has the right to revoke the citizenship of those who commit a “breach of loyalty to the State of Israel,” including espionage or terrorism.
Thursday’s ruling involves the cases of two Palestinian citizens of Israel were convicted of deadly attacks in 2012 and 2015. They received separate sentences, but the state also attempted to strip their citizenship under a 2008 Nationality Law.
The court ruled that, although the paperwork was filed incorrectly in these cases, the law itself is constitutional, even if it would render the individual stateless.
The United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which Israel was party to in 1961 but ultimately did not ratify, declares that adding to global statelessness is a violation of international law.
In cases that result in loss of citizenship, Israel’s high court determined that the interior minister would be required to grant individuals permanent residency.
This law has been brought to the Supreme Court only three times, all against Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Adalah, a legal rights group, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), which filed a joint appeal on behalf of one of the convicted men in 2017, released a statement saying that “The current case indicates that the law is discriminatory and will likely be used exclusively against Palestinian citizens of Israel.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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