Israel To Strip Residency Of 12 Palestinians

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout





Israel plans to revoke the permanent residency of 12 Palestinians in East Jerusalem for alleged involvement in "terrorist" activity, according to the country's interior minister.





In a statement on Tuesday, Arye Dery said he was considering the move after the Knesset (Israel's parliament) approved the necessary legislation.





Earlier this month, the Knesset passed a law allowing the authorities to revoke the residency of people involved in "terrorist" activities.





Four Palestinian lawmakers from Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, are among the 12 individuals, according to Israeli media.





There was no comment from the Palestinian side on the move.





Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Palestine-Israel conflict, with Palestinians hoping that occupied East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state. -