.png)
PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER ACCUSED OF TERRORISM, DEPORTED BY ISRAEL
- jakefarrella
- Dec 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 28, 2023
Salah Hammouri lived nearly his entire life in East Jerusalem, under residential rights. This past month, those rights were stripped by the Israeli government for security reasons.
By Jake Austin, 20 December 2022
Hammouri, pictured above, was deported to France this month after being held since March 2022. He is alleged to have terrorist connections, but international defenders maintain his innocence.
Salah Hammouri has lived and worked as a human rights lawyer in Jerusalem for most of his life, despite never holding Israeli citizenship. He instead relied on a residential permit -- which was stripped earlier this month. Israel officially accused Hammouri of aiding and abetting terrorist activity through his work with Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners' rights group that was designated a terrorist organization by the Israeli defense ministry in October 2021. The alleged ties between Addameer and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine are supported by "secret evidence" sealed from public viewing by the Israeli government.
It is telling that the case resulted in deportation, rather than official charges filed in Israel's domestic court. Hammouri continues to proclaim his innocence, calling back to his 2005-2011 imprisonment after being accused of assassinating a rabbi. He also maintained his innocence until his eventual release in that case. The UN released a statement about Hammouri's case, stating that his deportation was a violation of Geneva Conventions to which Israel is a signatory.
When a state can detain without charges with vindication for security reasons, that power will be misused. Using legitimate security policy aimed to protect civilians to persecute a human rights lawyer crosses a clear line. Furthermore, it undermines trust in the same system that is needed to establish peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Comments