Arbel rejects Ben Gvir’s request to revoke citizenship of soccer players who wouldn’t hold hostage signs

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel rejects a request from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to strip citizenship from soccer players who chose not to hold a sign calling to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to a memo sent from Arbel to Ben Gvir today.

In the letter, Arbel writes, “You don’t strip citizenship from a person because he doesn’t hold a sign, as important as it could be.”

Arbel adds: “I recommend that we deal with the important mission of maintaining Israel’s security and less with populism about the sympathies of a rival soccer team.”

Arbel has promoted a draft bill to revoke the citizenship of Israelis who publicly identify themselves with terror groups, or who identify with a terror group as incitement to a terror act, which he writes “will be advanced in the coming days.”