Jerusalem
CNN
—
Israeli authorities have accused the French-Palestinians of organizing, inciting and planning a “terrorist attack” against France early Sunday morning in what Israeli human rights groups called a “gross violation of fundamental rights”. Israeli authorities said they had deported 100 lawyers.
Salah Hamoli’s residency in Israel was revoked two weeks ago based on Israeli accusations that he was active with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), according to the Israeli Interior Ministry. PFLP has been designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.
“During his lifetime, he planned to organize, instigate and carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens and prominent figures,” an interior ministry statement said.
In an audio message posted on the official Palestinian Civil Society Campaign Instagram account for Hamri, Hamri said he was “forcibly deported and uprooted from my homeland.”
“I am sending you out of prison to banishment today. But rest assured that I will always remain the person you know. Always true to you and your freedom,” Hamri said in a message. I got
Hamouri, who has been in administrative detention without formal charges and has been in an Israeli prison since March, has denied involvement in a terrorist organization, and human rights groups have condemned Israeli actions.
“The deportation of Palestinians from their homeland for breaking their allegiance to the State of Israel sets a dangerous precedent and a grave violation of their fundamental rights,” human rights group Hamoked said in a statement on Sunday.
An Israel-based organization called Hamri’s deportation a “grave violation of fundamental rights.”
France’s foreign ministry said the deportation was “against the law”.
The ministry said France has worked “to ensure that the rights of Mr. Salah Hamri are respected and that he benefits from all means and that he is born, resides and lives a normal life in the Jerusalem he desires.” said.
A foreign ministry statement said France “opposes the expulsion of Palestinian residents from East Jerusalem, the occupied territory under the 4th Geneva Convention”. Israel disputes the occupied territory of East Jerusalem, which it occupied in 1967.
Hamouri was previously detained by Israeli authorities. He has always maintained his innocence to Israel’s accusations against him.
In 2005, he was tried and convicted of working on a plot to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the founder of Shas’ ultra-Orthodox political party.
He was part of a deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas in 2006, as part of the exchange of 1,027 Palestinian and other Arab prisoners held by Israel. Released in 2011.
Since then, he has lived and worked as a lawyer in Jerusalem, including a job as a human rights lawyer for Adamia, an organization that helps Palestinian prisoners. Adameer was outlawed by Israel earlier this year in a move condemned by UN officials.
Hamri was born in East Jerusalem but also holds French citizenship.
Hamouri’s attorney, Leah Tsemel, told CNN on Sunday that the Hamouri case was a “test bullet” for the interior ministry to deny East Jerusalem residents residency.
“We will address this issue in principle by filing a petition to the Supreme Court in the near future stating that it is unconstitutional to deny residency to a person who was born in occupied Jerusalem and is not bound by the duty of loyalty on the grounds of a breach of the duty of loyalty. For denying him residency,” Zemmel told CNN.
HaMoked had previously appealed the decision to revoke Hamouri’s residency status, seeking an injunction to block his deportation until a case challenging the legality of the law was heard, but the Supreme Court ruled that Both petitions were dismissed.
HaMoked said it will be able to submit new petitions to the High Court once the new Israeli government comes to power in the coming weeks.