witness follows with grave concern the Israeli authorities' decision to strip Palestinians of their citizenship and deport them to the Gaza Strip. witness asserts that this measure raises serious legal ramifications that undermine the core principles of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) enshrines the principles of equality before the law and non-discrimination, which contradicts any measure applied on a discriminatory basis—whether national or ethnic.
witness emphasizes that utilizing the revocation of citizenship as a supplementary penalty following final judicial rulings raises suspicions of double punishment. This practice conflicts with the principles of criminal justice and the fair trial guarantees safeguarded under Article (14) of the ICCPR.
Furthermore, the deportation of individuals to the Gaza Strip—considering them protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949—triggers the absolute prohibition of forcible transfer or deportation stipulated in Article (49) of the Convention, which strictly prohibits the individual or mass transfer of protected persons from their place of residence.
Expulsion to an area suffering from catastrophic humanitarian conditions may also constitute a violation of the principle of non-refoulement. This is a well-established principle in customary international law that prohibits the transfer of any person to a place where they may face a real risk to their life, safety, or human dignity.
Any measure affecting fundamental rights must strictly adhere to the standards of legality, necessity, and proportionality. witness maintains that the revocation of citizenship coupled with deportation is an extreme measure that far exceeds the bounds of proportionality, opening the door for citizenship to be weaponized as a political punitive tool.
Accordingly, witness emphasizes the following:
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The necessity for the immediate reversal of the decisions to revoke citizenship and deport individuals, as they violate binding international standards.
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The obligation of Israel, as a State Party to several international conventions, to respect its legal commitments and refrain from enacting or applying legislation that conflicts with those obligations.
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A call to the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to intervene urgently to review the legality of these measures.
The Association stresses that the right to a nationality and protection from forced deportation are non-politicized rights that cannot be used as deterrents; rather, they are mandatory legal obligations that must be respected under international law.
witnessFebruary 11, 2026