Gaza Strip.
Jerusalem: The Israeli Parliament on Thursday passed a new law for Palestinians, which is going to increase their problems. This Israeli law is for the families of those Palestinian attackers who carried out the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Now, through this new law, family members of Palestinian attackers will be deported to the war-affected Gaza Strip and other places. This new law of Israel has created panic among the families of the attackers.
The law was championed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his far-right allies. The law was passed by 61 votes against 41, but it is likely to be challenged in court. This law will apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of East Jerusalem annexed to Israeli territory. They will be deported to the Gaza Strip or other locations for a period of seven to 20 years. The Israel-Hamas war continues in Gaza, where thousands of people have been killed and much of the population internally displaced.
The houses of the families of the attackers will be demolished
Netanyahu’s government has also planned to demolish the houses of the families of the attackers on Israel. It is not yet clear whether the deportation plan will apply to the occupied West Bank, where Israel is pursuing a policy of demolishing the homes of attackers’ families. Palestinians have carried out dozens of incidents of knife attacks, shootings and car rammings against Israelis in recent years. Dr. Eran Shamir Borer, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former international law expert for the Israeli military, said that if this law is challenged in the Supreme Court. If passed, it is likely to be repealed based on previous Israeli cases involving deportations.
Important changes took place in the 1967 war
Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. These are the areas over which Palestinians want their supremacy. Israel withdrew settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005, but has recaptured parts of the territory since the war began following a Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. Israel annexed East Jerusalem, which is not recognized by much of the international community. Palestinians there have permanent residence and are allowed to apply for citizenship, but most do not want to do so and those who do face a number of obstacles.
Palestinians living in Israel constitute about 20 percent of the country’s population. They have citizenship and voting rights, but face widespread discrimination. Many of them also have close family ties to people living in the area and most of them are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. (AP)
