Israel Deports 415 Hamas and Islamic Jihad Activists to Lebanon
Mass deportation of Palestinian Islamists to Lebanon triggers international crisis and undermines ongoing peace talks in Washington.
Israel carried out its largest mass deportation in history today, forcibly expelling 415 alleged Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists to Lebanon. The deportees, hooded and handcuffed, were driven in buses to the Lebanese border and abandoned in a no-man’s land after Lebanon refused to accept them.
The deportations follow the kidnapping and murder of Israeli border policeman Nissim Toledano by Hamas militants earlier this week. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who took office six months ago promising to advance peace talks, approved the harsh measure to demonstrate toughness against Islamic extremism.
The mass expulsion has triggered international condemnation and thrown the Washington peace talks into crisis. Palestinian negotiators have suspended participation, demanding the deportees’ return before negotiations resume. The UN Security Council is expected to condemn the action as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The deportees, including university lecturers, doctors, and clerics, are stranded in freezing conditions on a hillside in southern Lebanon’s security zone. The International Red Cross has set up tents and is providing humanitarian aid as Lebanon maintains its refusal to accept them.
Human rights organizations note that the deportees were expelled without trial based on secret evidence, setting a dangerous precedent. The action appears to have backfired, generating sympathy for Hamas while undermining Palestinian moderates engaged in peace talks.
The crisis highlights the growing challenge posed by Islamic movements to both Israel and the PLO-led peace process.