Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri ordered April 29 the permanent deportation of four Palestinian public figures from Jerusalem. The decision culminates a 12-year legal and political Israeli battle against three members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and a former minister in the Palestinian government.
Ahmad Atoun, Mohammad Abu Teir and Mohammad Totah from Jerusalem were elected in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. By signing and sponsoring the Oslo Accord, Israel and the United States had tacitly approved the convening of the elections and the participation of Jerusalem residents, both as candidates and as voters. The three were on the Change and Reform list that was supported by the Islamic movement Hamas, which won the majority of the seats. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the list, was asked to set up a government, and he appointed a fourth Jerusalemite, Khaled Abu Arafa, as minister of Jerusalem affairs. Abu Arafa is the fourth person whose permanent residency status has been revoked.
