New Rule Allows West Bank Deportations

A new order from the Israel Defense Forces will enable the government to deport tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank. The military order defines anyone who is in the West Bank illegally as an “infiltrator,” and gives the IDF the ability to deport or arrest Palestinians without other cause.

Those subject to the order include Palestinians living in the West Bank who have Gaza addresses, Palestinians in the West Bank who were born in Gaza, those born in the West Bank who lost their residency, and also foreign-born spouses of Palestinians.

Historically, Israel’s civil courts have prevented such expulsions, but the new order leaves the decision up to military courts. —JCL

Haaretz:

A new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years.

When the order comes into effect, tens of thousands of Palestinians will automatically become criminal offenders liable to be severely punished.

Given the security authorities’ actions over the past decade, the first Palestinians likely to be targeted under the new rules will be those whose ID cards bear home addresses in the Gaza Strip - people born in Gaza and their West Bank-born children - or those born in the West Bank or abroad who for various reasons lost their residency status. Also likely to be targeted are foreign-born spouses of Palestinians.

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AP / Ariel Schalit

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian during clashes Saturday with Palestinian stone-throwers in Safa, a village near the West Bank city of Hebron.