‘It’s a no-brainer’: Legal expert backs deportation of Palestinian Authority-funded terrorists

Defense Minister Israel Katz said four Israeli Arabs are currently in advanced stages of the deportation process, with proceedings initiated against hundreds of other security prisoners.

By Pesach Benson and Noa Aidan, TPS

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed on Wednesday that the government will begin deporting Israeli nationals convicted of terror offenses who received “pay for slay” stipends from the Palestinian Authority.

The implementation of existing legislation is a “no-brainer” that “fits within international law,” one legal expert told The Press Service of Israel.

“I am leading a firm and clear policy – terrorists and supporters of terrorism who are residents and citizens of the State of Israel will not receive any reward for their actions,” Katz said during a press appearance at the Knesset with Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and Coalition Whip Ofir Katz.

“Anyone who chooses murder and hatred will be deported, their citizenship will be revoked, and they will pay the full price. We will continue to act with an iron fist and will not allow terrorists to sit here comfortably – we will pursue them from home and abroad,” the Defense Minister added.

Katz said four Israeli Arabs are currently in advanced stages of the deportation process, with proceedings initiated against hundreds of other security prisoners who received payouts from the Palestinian Authority.

The deportations will not apply to security prisoners who did not receive Palestinian Authority payouts.

Targeting ‘Pay for Slay’

“As they say in English, it’s a ‘no brainer.’ legal expert Maurice Hirsch told TPS-IL.

Hirsch is the Director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform in the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

“There’s no debate: terrorists released from prison will be expelled from here permanently and will never be allowed to return. Therefore, revoking their citizenship or residency is the necessary step.”

Hirsch said the law “was born to specifically address the issue of paying salaries to terrorists by the Palestinian Authority. If a terrorist has been convicted of committing a terror act and sentenced to prison, the law stipulates that the Interior Minister must act to revoke their citizenship or residency status.”

Hirsch stressed that deportations fit within international law, saying, “It aligns with the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which Israel is a signatory to.”

He noted that the Convention allows countries to cancel a person’s citizenship if they receive “emoluments” or profits from another state or “conducted himself in a manner seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the State.”

Asked about the timing, legislation authorizing the Interior Ministry to revoke citizenship has been in place since February 2023.

However, “former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant refused to cooperate and transfer intelligence that could justify decisions about revoking citizenship or residency,” Hirsch said.

Israeli officials say the stipends provide incentives for terror and regularly offset an equivalent amount from taxes that Israel collects on behalf of the PA.

The Palestinian Authority allocates seven percent of its annual budget for its so-called “Martyr’s Fund,” which provides the stipends.

The size of the monthly payouts is primarily determined by the duration of the terrorist’s incarceration, with a negligible additional factor based on family size.

Ramallah has been paying out stipends for years, but the issue came under a spotlight following the murder of Taylor Force, a U.S. citizen killed by a Palestinian who went on a stabbing rampage in Jaffa in 2018.

Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, which halted U.S. aid to the Palestinians as long as terror stipends are paid out.

Despite claiming to be operating at a 172% budget deficit, the Palestinian Authority in July recognized 899 new prisoners from Gaza and tens of thousands more Gaza “martyrs” as eligible for the “pay for slay” payouts.