Israel on Sunday expelled Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hamouri to France following a decision by the interior ministry, whose head, Ayelet Shaked, described it as “a major achievement in the fight against terrorism”. Paris condemned the move as a violation of international law.
“In your life [Hamouri] Organized, inspired and planned terrorist attacks on his own behalf and for the organization [el Frente Popular para la Liberación de Palestina, FPLP] against known citizens and Israelis,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Hamouri, 37, served seven years in prison for planning an attack on then-Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef until 2011, when he became one of more than 1,000 prisoners exchanged by Israel for soldier Gilad Shalit, held captive in Loop . After his release, he represented Palestinians in court cases and worked for Addameer, an NGO that champions the rights of Palestinian prisoners and is one of six organizations banned by Israel in 2021 for links to terrorism. The lawyer has spent the past nine months in administrative detention, several of which have left the suspect unaware of the charges he is being charged with. Also your lawyer.
Salah Hamouri, this Sunday, after his arrival at Roissy airport, near Paris DAPHNE BENOIT (AFP)
Hamouri was escorted to a plane in the morning to Charles de Gaulle-Roissy Airport near Paris. The deportation, against which no further legal remedies existed, was made possible by Israel revoking its residency status in Jerusalem on the 1st. This falls under a law passed by parliament in 2018 that gives the Interior Ministry the power to revoke the residence permits of Palestinians from the eastern part of the city – occupied by Israel since 1967 and later annexed. – who committed attacks and public safety. …threatened or “betrayed” the State of Israel.
“Dangerous Precedent”
The vast majority of the 340,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem have permanent residence permits issued by Israel. Hamouri also had a French passport, his mother’s nationality. Israeli human rights NGO Hamoked warned of the “dangerous precedent” and “serious violation of fundamental rights” that the “deportation of a Palestinian from his homeland for ‘disloyalty to the State of Israel’ creates”.
In its statement, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs underlines the “various measures” it has taken with the Israeli authorities to “demonstrate as clearly as possible their commitment to the deportation”. Hamouri was welcomed at Paris airport on Sunday morning by his wife, daughter and dozens of people with Palestinian banners and flags.
“I switched places, but the fight continues,” Hamouri said on arrival in Paris. “Today I feel I have a huge responsibility to my cause and my people,” he added, calling for the Palestinian right to “oppose.”
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
