Is Israel really using all the punitive sanctions at its disposal to combat terror?

A decision by the Interior Minister today demonstrates clearly that the answer is no.

Check out the following from Yediot Aharonot:

4 terrorists to lose Israeli ID cards

by Doron Sheffer

Interior Minister Pines-Paz decides to strip east Jerusalem residents of their permanent residency rights due to involvement in series of terror attacks; terrorists refused to express regret for their actions

The Interior Minister’s decision is of course correct. But what is inexplicable is that a terrorist’s residency rights are not automatically annulled once he or she is convicted of involvement in an attack.

This should be made into a statutory requirement, rather than being left up to the discretion of the Minister who happens to be in power.

When a state finds itself under attack, it must use the various means at its disposal to protect itself and its citizens.

The permanent residency rights that the four terrorists had were – as their name implies – rights, and if they chose to abuse them in order to murder dozens of Israeli citizens, then it only seems logical to take them away.

Not only to punish those who exploit these rights, but to deter others from doing the same.

It is time for Israel to whip its bureaucracy into shape, and to start thinking more creatively about how to use the levers of power to combat terror more effectively.

Bureaucrats excel at driving people mad and making their life a living hell – so what better way to punish terrorists and their conspirators then by unleashing some bureaucracy against them.