Israel passes law to deport the families of attackers

JERUSALEM

Israeli parliament early Nov. 7 passed a law that would allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers, including the country’s own citizens, to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or other locations.

The law, which was championed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and his far-right allies, passed with a 61-41 vote but is likely to be challenged in court.

It would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of annexed east Jerusalem who knew about their family members' attacks beforehand or who “express support or identification with the act of terrorism.”

They would be deported, either to the Gaza Strip or another location, for a period of 7 to 20 years.

It was unclear if it would apply in the occupied West Bank, where Israel already has a longstanding policy of demolishing the family homes of attackers.

Meanwhile, Israel's defense ministry yesterday announced that it had signed a $5.2 billion agreement with Boeing to purchase 25 "next generation" F-15 fighter jets, financed by U.S. military aid.

The deal includes an option for 25 more aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2031 in batches of four to six jets annually, the ministry said in a statement.

The F-15IA jets would be "equipped with cutting-edge weapons systems, including the integration of cutting-edge Israeli technologies",” the ministry said.

The Israeli military announced it expanded its month-old ground operation in northern Gaza to include part of Beit Lahiya, a town that has been heavily bombed since the earliest days of the war, where Israel says Hamas militants have regrouped.

In a press briefing, an army member Itzik Cohen said that Palestinians will not be allowed to return to homes in northern Gaza.

Israeli ground forces are getting closer to “the complete evacuation” of northern Gaza he added in what appears to be the first official acknowledgment from Israel it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.