The government is pursuing a bill that would allow it to deport terrorists' families within one week of a terrorist attack in which a family member is implicated.
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation was set to debate the bill, presented by Habayit Hayehudi, on Sunday.
The legislative proposal, sponsored by Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev, aims to give the IDF's GOC Central Command the authority to expel the immediate family of any terrorist implicated in carrying out or attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in Judea and Samaria. Under the legislation, the family can be relocated from their residence simply to another area within Judea and Samaria.
"The immediate deportation of a murderer's family has deterrence value that can save lives, but when the legal process drags on for weeks and months, it undermines deterrence," the bill explains.
Under the current law, a deportation of this nature is possible only if it is proven that a terrorist's immediate family itself presents a threat to public safety. The latest bill describes the current legislation as "hollow," asserting that the existing hurdles prevent deportations from being executed.
Yogev presented the bill to the committee earlier this month, but a vote on it was delayed when political turmoil threatened to destabilize the government in the wake of Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman's decision to resign as defense minister.
At the time, Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett said the bill "aims to stop Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria."
"In the current reality, terrorism against Jews is very lucrative for Palestinians and their families," Bennett said. "They murder Jews and then receive financial benefits. Palestinian terrorists must be made to understand that violence doesn't pay and that Israel will settle the score."
"Expelling a terrorist's family to another area will help generate deterrence and convey a message to the Palestinian public: Israel will show zero tolerance for terrorism," Bennett said.
