Deportation of Families of Terrorists Law

In November 2024, the Knesset passed the Deportation of Families of Terrorists Law, 5785-2024, which empowers the Minister of Interior to deport, for several years, Israeli citizens or residents who are first-degree relatives of terrorists if they “knew or should have known in advance about the terrorist’s plans to commit an act of terrorism and failed to do everything possible to prevent its commission, completion, or consequences…” or if they “expressed support or sympathy for an act of terrorism or made public statements of praise, sympathy, or encouragement for an act of terrorism or a terrorist organization.”

The law, which is unique to Israel, and infringes upon the universal right to residency and citizenship, and the array of rights associated with such statuses. Although it sets no clear standards for implementation, the Minister of Interior began enforcing it retroactively, eschewing accepted administrative norms. In response, in March 2025 HaMoked contacted the Attorney General and the Knesset Legal Advisor to demand that they order the suspension of the law’s implementation due to its illegality.