Motion to reinstate Hamas men's residential statue denied
Four senior terror group members petition High Court, Ministry of Interior to return east Jerusalem resident ID, revoked in 2006. Ministry rejects motion after conferring with Shin Bet, Justice Ministry
Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit rejected Sunday a requested filed by four senior Hamas members to reinstate their east Jerusalem resident ID.
"Their gall knows no limits," said the ministry, "filing such a motion when we are at war with Hamas."
The four, Deputy Hamas Prime Minister Mohammed Abu Tir, Khaled Abu Arafa, Minister for Jerusalem affairs, Mohammed Totach and Ahmed Adun – all members of the Palestinian Parliament, were arrested in June of 2006, in a security forces raid following the abduction of Gilad Shalit.
Then-Interior Minister Ronnie Bar-On revoked their Israeli resident ID.
In late November, the four petitioned the High Court and demanded their status be reinstated. The court referred them to the Ministry of Interior, and Minister Sheetrit received their motion during the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The four men's attorney claimed that since they were no longer members of the Palestinian Parliament, there was no reason not to reinstate their IDs: "Being residents of Jerusalem means more to my clients than any other role. They have effectively ceased to be members of the Palestinian Parliament since their arrest and we ask their status be reinstated."
Minister Sheetrit took the matter up with Shin Bet and Justice Ministry officials, and a subsequent inquiry revealed that the four still anchored Hamas' activities in Jerusalem.
Two of the men, who have since been released, have known connections with active Hamas operatives, and have never expressed any remorse for their actions.
"Since the plaintiffs are high profile members of the Hamas terror organization, which has a declared goal of fighting Israel, they are in breach of their mandatory fidelity to the State. Since they have not informed us of their intention to resign from the Palestinian National Council, we find no grounds to grant their motion," the ministry said in response.
