Gaza Genocide22 July, 20263 min read
Israel Seeks To Revoke Citizenship Of Rani Awf And Shadi Aidi For Aiding Hamas
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Israel seeks to revoke citizenship of two Arab Israelis convicted of aiding Hamas. First-of-its-kind citizenship-revocation request filed by the State Attorney's Office.
Citizenship revocation bid
Israel’s State Attorney’s Office filed a precedent-setting request with the Central District Court in Lod to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two security prisoners, Rani Awf and Shadi Aidi, after they were convicted of plotting to help Hamas disable Cellcom’s communications network during a future war or military operation. The request was submitted at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the relevant powers of the interior minister, and with the approval of the attorney-general, and it relies on a “criminal route” added to the Citizenship Law in 2011. The prosecution said this is the first time Israel has used this procedure, and it argued that the court can consider revoking citizenship even though the plan was stopped before Cellcom’s systems were disabled.
In the underlying case, Awf worked as a geographic information systems developer and maintained contact with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, while Aidi was an outside consultant specializing in communications and computer networks. The prosecution said the men were Israeli citizens by birth with no other citizenship or legal status abroad, and it argued revocation would not automatically deport them or leave them without legal status because they would receive permanent residency in Israel or another permanent status established by law.
Legal framing and approvals
The Times of Israel reported that the State Attorney’s Office said revocation is justified under a 2023 amendment to the Citizenship Law and described the offenses as “effective treason,” while JNS.org said the request was based on a 2023 amendment that permits citizenship revocation for security prisoners convicted of aiding the enemy during wartime. JNS.org said the office described the terror plot as “an extreme and exceptional case of violating the duty of loyalty owed by citizens to the state,” and it reported the request was submitted at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by outgoing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The Jerusalem Post said the state must still persuade the court that the case is among the “extreme and exceptional” cases serious enough to justify the step, and it said a qualifying conviction does not automatically lead to revocation.
The Jerusalem Post also reported that the prosecution is relying on a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that upheld Israel’s power to revoke citizenship for a grave breach of allegiance while stressing that citizenship is a fundamental right tied to a person’s identity. In the sentencing described by The Jerusalem Post, Awf was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined NIS 30,000, while Aidi was sentenced to five-and-a-half years and fined NIS 15,000.
What changes if revoked
Multiple outlets described the practical and civic consequences of revocation, with The Times of Israel saying that once citizenship is revoked, the person would be denied entry back into Israel. The Times of Israel also said the law enables citizenship to be revoked even if the person lacks a second citizenship, provided they have a permanent residence status outside of Israel. JNS.org said that in practical terms the consequences may be limited because an individual who does not hold another nationality and whose Israeli citizenship is rescinded is still entitled to permanent residency status and may continue living in the Jewish state.
“Once citizenship is revoked, the person would be denied entry back into Israel.”
The Jerusalem Post said revoking their citizenship would not automatically deport them or leave them without legal status, and it said they would instead receive permanent residency in Israel or another permanent status established by law. The request is tied to a plot that began in 2015 to develop the capability to disable central Cellcom computers and information systems during a war or military operation, and the prosecution argued the court should focus on the years of preparation and the planned timing during wartime.