Israel today revoked the citizenship of an Israeli Arab, accusing him of planning suicide attacks with the militant Islamic movement Hamas.
The Israeli Interior Ministry identified the man as Nahad Abu Kishaq and claimed he was responsible for helping suicide bombers enter Israel.
His Israeli identity card had enabled him to move around Israel legally, it said.
The unprecedented move to revoke citizenship follows other recent steps to deter suicide bombings in the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, including the deportation of two Palestinians from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip and the demolition of the homes of suicide bombers' families.
"I believe we must behave seriously against someone who acts against the security of the state," said Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai, implementing a long-standing law that enables the interior minister to annul citizenship and residency rights.
"These steps will deter the few and reduce the number of victims," he said in a statement.
There was no immediate reaction from the Palestinian Authority.
Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli Arab legislator, has previously condemned proposals to revoke citizenship and said Arabs with Israeli citizenship are being targeted unfairly.
Yishai, a right-wing member of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government, is also considering revoking the citizenship of another Israeli Arab and weighing taking away the permanent residency rights of another.
One of those two men lives in Lebanon, and the other is in jail in Israel for alleged links to "terrorist groups".
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said today's decision, violated the basic human right to hold citizenship. It called for new legislation to strip the interior minister of the authority to revoke citizenship.
"We point out that this step is an unprecedented one that negates the fundamental right of a person to hold citizenship," the association said in a statement.