Yesterday, Moshe Arbel, the Israeli Minister of the Interior, informed Majid al-Jubeh and Rashid al-Rishq, citizens of East Jerusalem, of the decision to withdraw their right to permanent residence in the city, on charges of supporting Hamas and the “Al-Aqsa Youth.”

Arbel set a period of “only 14 days” for Monday to appeal this decision before it takes effect.

According to what the decision alleged, Al-Jubeh worked within the framework of an organization to recruit members, pay salaries to “militants,” organize and participate in many public activities in support of “Hamas,” and also transferred money to the families of members of this movement.

The decision also stated that, when he was a minor, Rashid al-Rishq stabbed an Israeli in the Old City of Jerusalem, participated in violence on the Temple Mount, formed a military cell with other members of Hamas with the aim of carrying out operations and kidnapping soldiers, and carried out activities against the security forces.

It is worth noting that the Palestinians in Jerusalem do not hold Israeli citizenship and only enjoy the right to permanent residence there. They obtain most of the rights enjoyed by those who hold citizenship, but they are not entitled to vote in the Knesset elections, and they do not hold Israeli passports. The Minister of the Interior bases his decisions to withdraw the right to permanent housing from Palestinians on Article 11 of the Entry into Israel Law, which stipulates the withdrawal of the right to permanent housing due to a violation of loyalty to the State of Israel.

Despite the powers stipulated by law, the Supreme Court confirmed in the summer of 2022 that living conditions and social rights do not have to be withdrawn from “saboteurs” if they do not have a status in another country.

Last week, Arbel approved a memorandum of law that expands the powers to withdraw the right to permanent housing to include holders of citizenship for those described as instigators of violence during the war. Since October 7, the Israeli Public Prosecution has submitted more than 70 such indictments.

The memorandum of the law prepared by the legal advisor to the Population and Immigration Authority facilitates the procedures for withdrawing citizenship from so-called supporters of “terrorism,” instigators and supporters of armed Palestinian organizations at a time when a special status is declared on the home front, and the Knesset is expected to approve this memorandum of law.