Israeli court revokes citizenship of convicted Arab terrorist
Haifa judge strips Alaa Ziad of his Israeli citizenship in at the request of Interior Minister Arye Deri
An Israeli court revoked the citizenship of an Arab-Israeli man over his terrorism conviction — reportedly for the first time — in a stabbing and car-ramming attack.
The Haifa District Court on Sunday agreed to the request of Interior Minister Arye Deri in the case of Alaa Ziad of Umm al-Fahm. Ziad seriously injured three Jewish Israelis in the October 2015 attack at the start of what has been called the “stabbing intifada.”
Reports said it was the first time that an Arab Israeli has lost his citizenship over a terrorism conviction. Ziad’s mother is an Israeli citizen but his Palestinian father is not. Deri has also said he would revoke the Israeli residency permit for Ziad’s father.
Ziad can appeal the ruling while remaining in the country as a temporary resident, at least until October, Ynet reported.
“Revoking Ziad’s citizenship constitutes a proper and proportionate measure,” Judge Avraham Elyakim wrote in his decision, Ynet reported.
The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights and The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement that a decision to revoke Ziad’s citizenship “deviates from precedent as well as international law.” They noted that the Supreme Court in Israel decided not to revoke the citizenship of Yigal Amir after he assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
Ziad drove his car into a group of people waiting at a bus stop near Kibbutz Gan Shmuel in northern Israel, near Hadera. He then exited his car and began stabbing people, injuring four, including a soldier seriously. One of the victims was a 15-year-old girl.
Ziad was found guilty of four counts of attempted murder last year and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
It is not known to where Ziad would be deported.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.