The Palestinian Ministry of Detainees filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court demanding it to void a decision aimed at exiling15 Palestinian detainees who have already served their terms and are supposed to be sent back home.Palestinian Minister of Detainees, Issa Qaraqe’, said that the detainees do not have identity cards due to Israeli restrictions, and that they were kidnapped by the Israeli army during the Israeli military offensive against the West Bank in 2002.
Qaraqe’ added that some of the detainees received family reunification, and identity cards were issued to them while they were in prison, yet Israel voided the issued ID’s and ordered their deportation.
The 15 detainees finished their terms but Israel transferred to administrative detention without any charges or trial, and intends to deport them later on.
Some of the detainees declared hunger strike demanding to be freed without being deported.
The 15 detainees facing deportation were identified as Nasri Atwan, Omar Khalid Bani-Odah, Taleb Khalid Bani-Odah, Mohammad Taleb Abu Zayd, Saleh Sawarka, Samer Ali, Ahmad Zbeidat, Hammad Abu Amra, Khaled Jihad Yousef, Akef Salama Hreizat, Marwan Mohammad Faraj, Freih Salem Barakat, Hasan Ali Sawarka, Suleiman Sawarka, and Ahmad Hassan Zeidat.
In its appeal, the Ministry said that deportation is an illegal issue that violates the International Law, especially since the detainees were residing in Palestinian areas and not in countries they would be deported to.
Qaraqe’ added that Israel recently issued several orders voiding family reunification applications after there were already approved by its Interior Ministry and related branches.
