France yesterday condemned Israel’s expulsion of French-Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hamouri, who had been held in Israeli prisons without charge since March accused of security offences.
Hamouri arrived in Paris yesterday where he was welcomed by his wife Elsa, politicians, NGO representatives and supporters at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport.
Israel’s interior ministry said earlier Hamouri was deported following Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked’s decision to withdraw his residency status.
Hamouri, 37, had been held under a controversial practice known as administrative detention, which allows suspects to be detained for renewable periods of up to six months.
The French foreign ministry said Paris had been fully mobilized, 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, where he was born, resides and wishes to live.
