Three Hamas legislators and a Cabinet minister from Jerusalem are considering legal action against Israel's decision to revoke their residency rights in the city, one of the legislators said Wednesday.
The aftermath of one of many suicide bombings inside Israel.
Photo: AP [file]
MK Ahmed Tibi on Tuesday asked Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to change his decision to revoke the Israeli residency status of Hamas leaders living in east Jerusalem.
"Residency or citizenship can't be revoked on the basis of belief or political affiliation," Tibi said.
MK Aryeh Eldad, on the other hand, called the government decision an insufficient step in the war on terror.
The decision, taken earlier Tuesday at an emergency cabinet meeting, came in response to Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed nine people, and would affect such senior Hamas members as PA Minister Mahmoud Abu-Tir.
In order to retain their Israeli residency and identification cards, Hamas members will need to announce to Israel's interior minister that they have resigned from the PA parliament and the Hamas movement.
A written summary of Tuesday's meeting stated that Israel held the PA government responsible for the terror attack, especially taking into account comments by certain Hamas officials who called the bombing a "legitimate action."
"Any member of a government involved in terrorism should not be granted any immunity in the form of his Israeli residency identification," declared Olmert.
"The Palestinian government is responsible for this act of terror. Its members will not be given freedom of movement and shall be regarded as operatives of a terrorist organization," added the interim prime minister.
