Israel to Strip Hanan Ashrawi of Citizenship

By Ashraf Salfity, IOL Palestine Correspondent

TEL AVIV, August 8 (IslamOnline) - Israel army radio announced Thursday, August 8, that the Israeli government is considering stripping Palestinian Legislative Council member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, of her Israeli citizenship.

In its local Arabic news bulletin, Israel radio said Thursday that the Israeli government’s move came after Ashrawi “made anti-Israeli declarations in Arab satellite channels and media means.”

The move against Ashrawi came in the wake of the Israeli government’s stripping three Israeli Arabs of their citizenship under the claim they took part in attacks against Israel.

Far-right Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai threatened Tuesday, August 6, to strip Israeli Arabs involved in what he described as “terrorist activities” of their citizenship.

Yishai, leader of the ultra Orthodox Shas Party, defended his unprecedented plans to strip two Israeli Arab citizens - one in jail and the other in Lebanon - of their Israeli citizenship, and to cancel the permanent residency status of a third Arab, on the grounds that all three harmed state security, the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha’aretz, said.

“This is a precedent-setting step,” Yishai conceded on army radio, “Someone can't have citizenship and enjoy all its benefits and at the same time be a threat to the existence of the state of Israel.”

Yishai has given orders to the State Attorney's office to prepare a list of 1948 Israeli Arabs allegedly involved in Palestinian resistance attacks against Israel, with the ultimate aim of stripping them of the Israeli citizenship, the Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot, reported Wednesday, August 7.

The list included names of high ranking Palestinian officials, including Ashrawi, who would accordingly be denied freedom of ownership or movement inside Israel.

Yishai's move would leave the Israeli Arabs without any nationality and contravene international treaties signed by Israel on the issue.