MK Tzvi Succot (Religious Zionism) is advancing legislation to amend Israel’s Citizenship Law, enabling the revocation of citizenship in cases involving actions deemed harmful to the state.
Under the proposed bill, an adult Israeli citizen who obtained citizenship through the Law of Return could have their citizenship revoked if, within five years, they are found to be actively promoting boycotts against Israel.
Succot criticized activists who receive citizenship under the Law of Return and later support boycott efforts, saying Israeli citizenship “is not meant to serve as a refuge for those who seek to use it as a weapon against the state that gave them a home."
He added that individuals who acquire citizenship only to participate in boycott campaigns “function as a fifth column in every sense." According to Succot, those who defame the state and encourage international boycotts should understand that such actions carry consequences, including the loss of citizenship. “Loyalty to the state is a fundamental condition of citizenship," he said.
The bill’s explanatory notes emphasize that Israeli citizenship is a right accompanied by obligations. They state that recipients of citizenship under the Law of Return declare loyalty to the state, but in some cases, this declaration is merely nominal. The notes argue that certain individuals obtain citizenship with the sole intention of undermining Israel, damaging its international standing, and encouraging global boycotts against the country and its citizens.
The proposal describes this situation as unacceptable and asserts that the state has a responsibility to address it by revoking the citizenship of those who engage in such activities.“The State of Israel opens its gates, but its foremost duty is to protect itself from a fifth column," he wrote in the proposal.