Culture Minister Miki Zohar Threatens to Revoke Citizenship of Film Creators

Following the film "Farha" winning a prestigious award at the Venice Film Festival, Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar launched a sharp attack against its creators. In a social media post, Zohar stated that the "burning self-hatred of creators willing to harm their homeland to receive applause from antisemites worldwide is incomprehensible and constitutes treason against the state." He declared that as Culture Minister, he would "immediately act to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state."

The article examines the legal feasibility of Zohar's threat. Israeli citizenship can be revoked under the Citizenship Law for several reasons, including an act that constitutes a "breach of allegiance to the State of Israel." This can be interpreted as treason, which, according to the Penal Law, involves acts aimed at harming state sovereignty, inciting military action against Israel, or aiding an enemy in wartime, such as by passing information likely to reach the enemy.

However, the law does not grant the Culture Minister direct authority in this process. To revoke citizenship for breach of allegiance, the Minister of Interior must submit a request to the Administrative Affairs Court, after obtaining written consent from the Attorney General. The court then decides whether to revoke citizenship. Additionally, the Minister of Interior must appoint a committee, headed by a retired judge, to advise on such decisions.

Israeli citizenship has been revoked for breach of allegiance in only two cases, both in 2002, involving members of Hamas and Hezbollah who committed serious security offenses. At that time, the authority rested with the Minister of Interior, and their decisions were not legally challenged. A 2008 amendment transferred the decision-making power to the Administrative Affairs Court. Since then, two requests to revoke citizenship for breach of allegiance were filed in 2015 and 2016, but both were rejected by the Supreme Court.