Interior Minister Silvan Shalom on Sunday asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to examine the possibility of revoking the citizenship of the Arab-Israeli who paraglided into Syria to join Islamist rebels there.
Shalom seeks to effectively exercise his authority, as stipulated in the Citizenship Law, according to which he must receive the consent of the Attorney General in order to apply to a court to begin the process of revocation of citizenship.
Shalom’s move joins a list of measures he has been promoting with regards to the revocation of citizenship for those who endanger the security of the country and work against it and its citizens.
“We must act sternly against those who violate their loyalty to the state and endanger its security,” the Interior Minister said on Sunday evening.
Shalom announced earlier this month he would work to revoke the Israeli citizenship or residency status of those who committed terrorist attacks or were involved in acts of terrorism against Israelis.
Earlier on Sunday it was cleared for publication that an Arab resident of Jaljuliya entered Syria after he paraglided there from the Golan Heights.
On Saturday, at about 5:00 p.m., the IDF spotted the windsurfer as he crossed the border. IDF patrols were initially concerned that a paratrooper had strayed into Syria by mistake.
"From that moment we started cooperation with the Shin Bet intelligence forces," IDF spokesman Brigadier General Motti Almoz stated Sunday, referring to the Israel Security Agency.
He further identified the suspect, who was not named, as a 23-year-old.
The family of the man later said they received a phone call - presumably from rebels - telling them their son was unharmed.
"The uncle said the young man's father had received a phone call about an hour after an (army) observation post spotted the paraglider, in which he was told, 'Your son is fine. He's with us. Don't worry,' before the call was cut off," Haaretz reported.
The paper said that the family had noticed the man becoming more intensely religious of late.