Following discussions last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday night is expected to propose a bill negating permanent residency status and social benefits from Arab residents of Jerusalem conducting riots and terrorist attacks.
“It cannot be that those who act in terror against the state of Israel enjoy rights such as national insurance,” said Netanyahu.
The bill, which would include in its scope those inciting terrorism against the state, would target not only the Arab terrorists but their families as well in stripping their residency and social benefits.
Interior Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) on Saturday announced that he was looking into the possibility of implementing the bill.
“I have ordered a review and recommendations…in order to expand my powers as Interior Minister to revoke the permanent residency status and social benefits granted to the Arabs in eastern Jerusalem who are involved in terror, incitement and violence,” Erdan said.
Just last week Erdan announced he would revoke the residency status of the wife of one of the two Arab terrorists who committed the horrific attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood with hatchets, knives and guns, killing four Jews at prayer and a Druze police office.
Illustrating the culpability of the families as well as the terrorists themselves, it was revealed that the family of cousins Uday and Ghassan Abu Jamal who conducted the attack and were shot at the scene held celebrations and handed out candy after hearing of the gruesome rampage.
Israel is looking at several steps to quell the rising wave of Arab terrorism that has escalated in recent months, one such measure being the demolition of terrorists’ homes in a deterrent move that has been hit by US, EU and UN criticism.
However, Israel appears not to be actually demolishing the homes of the terrorists; last Wednesday instead of demolishing the home of an Arab terrorist who murdered a three-month-old baby and a young student with his car, only the terrorist’s room was destroyed, allowing it to be quickly rebuilt.
Another deterrent move being eyed is a proposal by MK Danny Danon (Likud) to remove child stipends from the parents of children who throw rocks.
