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Erdan Freezes Passport of Israeli Arab Who Joined ISIS

December 22, 2014

Interior Minister Gilad Erdan has frozen a young Israeli Arab’s passport, Channel 2 reports Monday, and is considering revoking his citizenship, after the citizen was found to have joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Marwan Khaldi, from Nazareth, left Israel two months ago and has since severed all contact with his family, according to the daily. Over the past several days, Khladi’s family learned that Marwan is hospitalized in critical condition in Turkey, suffering burns all over his body, from fighting with the group.

As such, Khaldi’s family contacted the Ministry of the Interior to request that Marwan’s passport be unfrozen so he could return to Israel – but so far not been answered. Now, the family is threatening to petition the High Court for Justice over the freeze, claiming that it constitutes a form of criminal negligence.

“Marwan’s continued presence in Turkey may cause permanent damage to his health,” the young man’s lawyer, Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, stated Monday.

Nonetheless, Erdan has maintained that he is considering to revoke the Israeli citizenship of Khaldi for his involvement in the terror group.

“I’m waiting for the recommendation of the security agencies, but this is probably someone who was trained to kill people in one of the world’s most brutal terrorist organizations and I am obligated to consider carefully whether he can return to Israel,” Erdan said.

In October, sources revealed that no fewer than 30 Arab citizens of Israel have joined ISIS, and that there is a move in the Knesset to remove their citizenship.

This is the latest in a series of moves by Erdan to tighten Israel’s security against domestic threats.

The Interior Minister announced recently that he was examining the possibility of expanding his powers to expel Arab terrorists from Jerusalem, precisely by revoking their residency permits.

Last month, he cancelled the permanent residency status of Mahmoud Nadi, the driver for the suicide bomber responsible for the bombing at the Dolphinarium Disco in Tel Aviv in June 2001. That attack killed 21 people and wounded over 100 others.

Weeks later, he also expelled Nadia Abu Jamal, the wife of one of the two Arab terrorists who attacked a Har Nof synagogue in Jerusalem, murdering four Jews at prayer and a police officer, on similar grounds.

And on Tuesday, Erdan announced that he had filed a motion to the Attorney General’s Office to revoke the citizenship of three terrorists involved in major attacks against Jews and Israelis.

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