French government condemns expulsion of French-Palestinian lawyer
Israel deported French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri on Sunday, suspecting him of active involvement in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group, although Hamouri denies being a PFLP member.
Hamouri was greeted in Paris by his wife, Elsa, as well as a group of politicians, human rights representatives and supporters.
However, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning his deportation to France, suggesting it was “against the law.”
The foreign ministry said France would work, “including at the highest level of the state, to ensure Salah Hamouri’s rights are respected, that he benefits from all possible assistance and that he can lead a normal life in Jerusalem.”
French President Emmanuel Macron raised concerns earlier this year with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid about the lawyer’s possible deportation. As the son of a Palestinian father and French mother, Hamouri is a French citizen. He has never held Israeli citizenship.
Amnesty International France President Jean-Claude Samouiller rejected the deportation as “a crime of apartheid.”
“It’s a happy day for a family reunited but for the Palestinian people, it’s a sad day,” Samouiller said.
Israeli human rights group HaMoked also denounced the deportation decision, calling it “a dangerous precedent and a gross violation of basic rights.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
