The Jerusalem appeals court ruled Tuesday to revoke the residency of the terrorist who murdered four army cadets in a car-ramming terrorist attack in Jerusalem Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in January 2016.
Israel decided to expel the terrorist's relatives from Israel, due to the fact that they are not citizens here. However, the legal group “HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual,” which benefits from the support of the New Israel Fund, assisted the relatives of the terrorist to petition against their deportation from Israel.
In the hearing today, the state presented information according to which several members of the terrorist's extended family are suspected of having links to ISIS and involvement in terrorist activities, and therefore there is a security concern regarding their continued stay in Israel.
Meirav and Herzl Hajaj, the parents of Lt. Shir Hajaj, who was murdered in the terrorist attack, asked to join as respondents to the petition filed by relatives of the terrorist against the revocation of residency.
Representatives of HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual said at the hearing that the revocation of residency deviates from [the state of Israel’s] authority ... The family of the terrorist had no knowledge of [the terrorist’s] intention. They are innocent. The interior minister does not have the authority to revoke residency.”
Meirav and Herzl Hajaj, the parents of the late Shir Hajaj, said that "No one will return our Shir. We are here to prevent the next attack, God forbid. It is delusional that the governments of Europe and the New Israel Fund provide legal protection to the lowly terrorists who murdered our Shir and many other Israelis. We will fight here to the last drop of our blood against those who make their living by murdering Jews."
The legal adviser of the “Im Tirtzu” group who represents the Hajaj family added that "The discussion today revolves around the expulsion of the relatives of the terrorist Fadi Conver, the murderer of the cadets in the Armon Hanatziv attack, in order to ask the court to include Merav and Herzl Hajaj and the Im Tirtzu movement as respondents alongside the state of Israel. This is not only to make their voices heard and to present their position,” he said. Rather, "The Hajaj family and Im Tirtzu want to join as real litigants because the status of litigants will grant them the substantive and formal right to appeal the ruling if they find it necessary to do so," he added.