WEST BANK: Israel expels Hamas lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tir from East Jerusalem

Israeli police Wednesday expelled Hamas lawmaker and East Jerusalem resident Muhammad Abu Tir to the West Bank city of Ramallah after an Israeli district court upheld a 4-year-old decision by the Israeli minister of interior declaring that Abu Tir's presence in Jerusalem was "illegal."

Palestinians fear the expulsion may set a precedent in which Israel will expel political activists not only from the Islamist Hamas, but from any political faction, including the mainstream Fatah, which has a number of ministers and lawmakers from Jerusalem.

Hatem Abdul Qadder, a former Fatah lawmaker from Jerusalem and former minister in Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government, expressed concern that Israel may apply the same law to any political activist in the city in an attempt to quell resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, described the move as "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians from East Jerusalem in order to empty the city of its Palestinian residents while increasing the number of Jews in settlements built around the occupied section of the city.

Under a recently revised Israeli statute known as the "infiltrators law," Israel can expel any person if his or her presence is deemed illegal. Because Israel annexed East Jerusalem after its occupation in 1967, it considers the area part of Israel proper and therefore applies the law to it as well.

Police took Abu Tir to the Beitunia military checkpoint, northwest of Ramallah, and told him to walk across to Ramallah, where he was met on the West Bank side of the checkpoint by family, friends and Hamas officials.

He told reporters that his next step will be to get back to his home and family in Um Touba, an East Jerusalem neighborhood. He said his appeal against revoking his residency status was still pending before the Israeli High Court of Justice, which reviewed it in September but has not yet rendered a decision.

Abu Tir had been in prison since June, awaiting the High Court ruling on his status after the Israeli interior minister revoked his residency in the wake of his election to the Palestinian parliament in January 2006.

Before that, Abu Tir served four years in an Israeli jail after he was rounded up along with most of the Hamas lawmakers in the West Bank in the wake of the March 2006 cross-border abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit near the Gaza Strip at the hands of Hamas military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades. Days after his release, he was re-arrested on charges of being in Jerusalem "illegally" after he had refused to leave the city and move to the West Bank.

According to Osama Saadi, Abu Tir's lawyer, the High Court has postponed a decision regarding his status for four years. A lower court, which had held him in prison since June, when police arrested him on charges of staying in East Jerusalem without permission, decided on Wednesday to release him but not before sentencing him to four months in prison should he return to Israel. The court, however, also ruled that Abu Tir's presence in the city was illegal, which prompted police to take him from prison straight to the Beitunia checkpoint and then to Ramallah.

Abu Tir is not the only one who has had his residency revoked by the minister of interior.

Two other Hamas lawmakers from Jerusalem and a third who had served as minister of Jerusalem affairs in the short-lived Hamas-run government in 2006 are facing the same fate.

The three took refuge in the Red Cross office in Jerusalem after Abu Tir's arrest. They have been there since May.

-- Maher Abukhater in Ramallah, West Bank

Comments

[Jehudah Ben-Israel]

Israel of course is a liberal democracy, being in the forefront of forces eager to wipe it off the face of earth and with it all traces of Jewish existence in this nation-state of the Jewish people and the cradle of the 4,000 year old Jewish civilization.

And as any democratic country, Israel too has the right to defend itself and its democracy in the face of the powers, forces and people it faces.

The expulsion of this man, done totally legally, is just one way of self-defense.
And only those not wishing to see the continuation of Israel's existence can object to it.

[ABG]

"I am ashamed my country supports this racist, thuggish incarnation of a Jewish state and I wish we would stop."

I am ashamed the newspaper I grew up with supports such baseless, thuggish, and racist commentary on its website, and I wish it would stop.

[ABG]

Poor, pitiful Peter. Cherry picking history will never prove anything other than you hold no credibility.

[Wadi]

The Palestinian Authority has been Arresting Hamas and Palestinian Freedom Supporters for years. So what is the Problem of Israel to expel a Hamas supporter to another city? For Fateh and the PA worrying about the Zionist expelling supporters to another city on the West Bank, is silly. Fateh and the PA should be worrying about the Zionist Expelling/Ethnically Cleanse them over the Jordianian Border. That is the Zionist Goal.

[Edina]

@Wendy: this is touching ...but I feel sad about your ignorance
"muslim/arabs have 56 countries with Mecca as a capital now they are trying to steal Israel" let me point out some little funny things in your statement.
1. "muslim /arabs" do not have anything. nations are independant. there is no united states of arabie nor is there a "muslimie". this does not exist:-)
2. arab does not muslim (they can be atheist, christian, muslims, jewish ,etc..)
muslim does not mean arab, muslims are all around the world. albania, Iran, tteh maghreb, EU, US etc...it is a religion not the badmindton club or a polical movement. religion is personal, God and you. by teh way, Judaism and Islam cann be full politcal and ideological systems...but most of us prefer secularity. God is teh same for christians jews and muslims. he would not like your jaleous nagging "they have evrything and us nothing":-). besides, if you are jewish (in teh religious sense) you might read teh Thorah again and check what is said about imposing presence by force...
2. Mecca is not a capital. it is a holy place like there are many others (Lourdes, etc..). it only means something to believers. Jerusalem has meaning to all three monotheist religions my dear. cristianite liek islam are based on judaism (it is a continuity -Thorah-Bible-Coran)
3. for the little story: Part of my ancestors are berbers from North Africa, if you want to go back that far in time to justify waht is going on. well, what should we do... my ancestors were pagans, then jewish then muslims....teh same way those palestinien swho are today christians and muslims have ancestors who were jewish. in my country, everyone lives with everyone else. our identity as a nation is not built on religion or ethnie. we have our values and all our specificity. in my family you find christians, muslims , atheists and one buddhist:-) none of them is ultra conservative and we were all brought up in secular societies so to me people like you sound a bit crazy but I am getting used slowly to your type of comment. maybe it is due to your education, I am not here to judge but to understand.
4. no one is trying to steal israel but israel has taken palestinian territories and is not stopping colonising. israel, by law has been given borders but voluntarily chose to ignore this and prefer the unlawful option which is causing problems, not to mention this criminal embargo on gaza. colonial empires have ceased to exist in teh 60s..it is immoral to colonise (as we know what goes with it) and all nations have the right to self-determination.
"La liberté des uns s'arrête là où commence celle des autres." a very very important thing to remember and that everyone on this planet should live by .
in english "Freedom of some stops where begins that of the others"
think about it....and you'll see that there is room for both your nations. all of you should live respecting each other. but let's be serious. when you commit a robbery, you don't tell the owner he should happy you let him keep the kettle when you took all his house...and that on the top of it he's the criminal....but if you explain to him you have nowhere else to go and the house has a sentimental value to you, he might let you keep half of his big house and you can even share the kitchen and bathroom...

[Dean Blake]

@ Peter - Jews have been opposed by residents in Hancock Park for decades. The trick was land was allocated to churches, but none for synagoguges. When a house was used for worship, the community opposed it in court. Since jes observe the Sabbath and walk, houses of worship need to be in walking distance. My shull in Sherman Oaks was also opposed by the 3 local churches. Lots of goyem showed up at the zoning hearing to oppose. You speak as if the USA and the Churches don't still discriminate against jews in housing and accomodations. nonsense. You are the kettle calling the pot black.

The purpose of the Rabbinical call is to develope safe neighborhoods. Gentiles are hostile to Jews. Like Shylock is made to say by the Bard, "we will walk with you, talk with you, do business with you, but not live with you nor eat with you" etc. and for good reason.

[Dean Blake]

"King David, when the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery" citation please. In any case there is no citation nor will you find one. Your purpose is to imply that Israel is doing today to the Palestinias as it has always done, but you made it up as to what Jews do. A slur on the reputation of my ancestors by one who has no Biblical knowledge.

[Wendy]

I am ashamed my country supports this racist, thuggish incarnation of a Jewish state and I wish we would stop.
========
Go cry to the indians..i am sure they will be amazed at your stolen land comments..

[geo88a]

It's a sad state of affairs in the M.E.
Israel is not putting forth any solutions to this problem.
Palestinians aren't gonna go any where. Neither are the Israelis. So why don't they work something out?
Over 60 years of animosity towards each others, is enough. Lets try peace for once and for all.

[me.yahoo.com/a/OdYMp9d2q5dlq9G1Lkg_U1KFd0xTr9edV9Lt]

Wendy: Jerusalem was the chief city of the Jesubites until conquered by King David, when the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery and it became Jewish. History is interesting, isn't it? And it's a continuum, you can't just stop at a convenient point.
I am ashamed my country supports this racist, thuggish incarnation of a Jewish state and I wish we would stop.

[barryel]

Someone one has to be smart here !
Instead of expelling Hamas leaders, I think Israel should be producing a "Litmus Paper" arranging for an all sides and factions meeting under international umbrella,put the options on the table and let Fatah, Hamas ,and other organizations together with Israel develop a solution with understanding that peace solution could be "plotted " within limits and constraints that are brought to the table by each party. If there would be a true will on behalf of all sides and some creative thinking I feel there is a chance to get out of the conflict we should look for the "greater common factor" for all sides , I am quite certain one could be found.

[Peter]

Poor Wendy , yet your precious homeland allows lowlife racists like these remain there and they expel the true residents of the country

"39 municipal rabbis issue ruling against renting homes to non-Jews; PM, ministers up in arms
Netanyahu harshly criticized the dozens of municipal rabbis who endorsed a religious ruling that prohibits renting homes to Gentiles; said the State categorically rejects their statements."

Netanyahu criticized...thats all folks. Yet non-Jews are having their electricity and even their water shut off in their homes by these fanatics supported by our tax dollars. Jews fought against racism here in the USA yet they freeely practice racism in their own homeland. How convenient is that? Jews would be up in arms if you were not to rent to a Jewish person because they were Jewish!
Those of you who may be Christian zionists please make note, that this is not just directed at Muslims but for the CHRISTIANS of Israel as well. Supporting these Israeli paid racists goes against the very fabric of Christianity. These rabbis are the chief rabbis of each city, they are paid employees of the government. These people are the ones that need to be arrested for incitement or expelled.

[barryel]

We all Jews and Moslem s could wave with biblical and historical evidence to show how we have rights to be here and there . We must take pragmatic action and bridge on differences for the better future of the people in this region. I believe in cooperation in the region and personal touch among people , I believe the reason and logic of people in the region must prevail , and you :)

[Wendy]

Jerusalem was a Jewish city before the first Arab ever set foot outside the Arabian peninsula. The muslim/arabs have 56 countries with Mecca as a capital now they are trying to steal Israel~