Bereaved families: Revoke terror abettor's citizenship

Parents of victims of Haifa suicide bombing want Arab's rights revoked according to new amendment

Ahiya Raved|Published: 03.30.11 , 15:37

Bereaved families of victims killed in a suicide attack on Haifa's bus line 37 in 2003 are demanding that the interior minister revoke the citizenship of a man who aided the attack, in which 17 people were killed.

A letter sent by 12 parents to Eli Yishai describes how Israeli Arab Munir Rajbi, who is serving a life sentence for his part in the attack, abetted terror.

"He knew the city, the bus routes, and the lifestyles, and knew how to provide information necessary for those planning the attack," the parents wrote.

"In the months beforehand he would go out on Fridays to pray at Temple Mount in Jerusalem and meet with his brothers, members of a Hamas terror cell from Hebron who were involved in planning the attack. There he also provided them with intelligence on possibilities and places to carry out an attack in Haifa."

After the attack, Rajbi was convicted of aiding the enemy during wartime and was sentenced to life in prison. An amendment to the Citizenship Law approved by the Knesset Monday would allow the interior minister to appeal to the court in order to revoke the citizenship of anyone convicted of a terror-related crime.

"This wicked man is responsible for the murders of 17 Israelis, nine of them schoolchildren between the ages of 13-18 who were on their way home from school," the letter says.

"The State of Israel must revoke his citizenship immediately and revoke his rights as an Israeli citizen." This move, the parents believe, "will add to the deterrence and protection of the state's residents from those who live within us and plot against us."

One of the signatories, Yossi Tzur, who lost his son Assaf, told Ynet that for the parents this was revenge. "It was in his hands and he could have saved our children, but chose not to do so," he said. "For us, the worse the punishment the more just it will be."