U.S. Says It’s ‘gravely Concerned’ About Israel’s Deportation Policy

The United States on Tuesday said it was “gravely concerned” about Israel’s deportation Sunday of 15 Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

“We have repeatedly voiced our opposition to the expulsion of Palestinians from the occupied territories,” State Department spokesman Charles Redman said.

Instead of enhancing the Jewish state’s security, he said, deportation “enhance Palestinian resentment and add to tensions.”

The State Department has taken special interest in the plight of the Palestinians, who Israeli Embassy spokesman Yossi Gal said were involved in “inciting, leading and directing violent disturbances in the territories.”

In August, after Israel initially ordered the deportations, Thomas Pickering, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, discussed their cases with top Israeli leaders while U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead met with Oded Eran, acting Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin told Pickering that the deportations would be carried out after the Palestinians had the opportunity to appeal to Israel’s High Court of Justice.

Redman said Tuesday that the United States will continue to press its position as it has done previously. But a department source was unaware of any planned meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials on the matter.

‘UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE’

“As a strong friend of Israel, we are now gravely concerned about these most recent expulsions,” Redman said. “Deportations are an unacceptable practice under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

A State Department official explained that the fourth protocol of the Geneva Convention of 1949 “does not permit forced exile as a form of punishment.”

Gal said Israel differs with the United States in interpreting the treaty, which governs the conduct of an occupying power. “We maintain that it is legal” under the treaty to deport Palestinians, he said.

Redman called on Israel to afford “full and public judicial process” to those accused of criminal acts. Such a process would allow Palestinians to “defend themselves against any charges,” he added.

Gal retorted that all were “given enough time to appeal” to the High Court of Justice. They first petitioned the advisory committee of the central and southern commands of the Israel Defense Force and filed appeals with the court Aug. 17. But they have since withdrawn the appeals, Gal said.

The High Court has never overturned an IDF deportation order.

Redman said Palestinians found guilty under Israeli law “should be punished appropriately.” The State Department source said acceptable forms of punishment would be imprisonment or fines.