Netanyahu proposes revoking citizenship to those who join Islamic State

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he is seeking to have Arab Israelis stripped of their citizenship for joining the Islamic State (IS) group to fight in the Syrian conflict.

Last week, Israeli police said six Arab Israelis were arrested on suspicion of planning to travel to Syria to join IS in a case sparked by a man's paraglider journey.

On 24 October, a 23-year-old entered Syria illegally on a paraglider from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, prompting an investigation by Israeli security forces.

After the paraglider’s arrest, authorities detained five residents from Jaljulya for trying to join the armed group.

Israeli authorities have said around 45 Israeli Arabs have joined IS in recent months.

A few Israeli Arabs have also been killed in Syria – including a 19-year-old from East Jerusalem who was accused and executed of being a spy. Israeli security officials have arrested around a dozen of Israeli Arabs trying to return.

"I have asked the attorney general to advance steps to revoke the citizenship of those who join ISIS," Netanyahu said on Sunday, using another acronym for IS.

"Whoever joins ISIS will not be an Israeli citizen. And if he leaves the borders of the state, he will not return," he said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

"I think this lesson is becoming increasingly clear throughout the international arena and it is fitting that we lead this effort as well."

Concerns over foreign fighters travelling to and from Syria to fight with IS has risen in the wake of the November 13 Paris attacks.

“This doesn’t characterize the entire population of Arab Israelis,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said. “This is something they’ll regret having done when they’re older.”

Arab Israelis account for more than 17 percent of the country's population.