Israeli Court Bars Expulsion of Arab-American During Appeal

Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected the government prosecutor’s request for the immediate deportation of Jerusalem-born American Mubarak Awad, pending its review of his appeal.

But the court ruled that Awad, 44, head of the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence who was jailed last Thursday despite protests by the U.S. government and American Arab groups, must remain in jail until it rules May 23.

The court rejected Awad’s request to go free pending its decision after seeking an opinion from Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who signed the deportation order. Shamir’s office issued a statement saying that Awad might incite Arabs to violence and endanger Israel’s security if he were set free.

Significantly, a government affidavit produced in court Monday dropped earlier charges that Awad had organized or participated in violence and that his center was financed by the banned Palestine Liberation Organization.

Meantime, a 34-year-old father of seven became the 176th Palestinian killed since the uprising against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip began exactly five months ago Monday. Two Israelis have also been slain.

The family of Ibrahim Ahmad Hussein told reporters he was hit in the head inside his house by bullets fired when Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian demonstrators at Dahaisha refugee camp near Bethlehem in the West Bank. Israeli military sources said Hussein was killed and another Palestinian was wounded when troops, deciding that the demonstrators were getting out of control, opened fire.

After Hussein’s death, Israeli military sources said, the army placed the camp under curfew when Palestinians attending his funeral clashed with troops.

Three other Palestinians were wounded when troops in a nearby village opened fire on demonstrators, the sources said.

Other disturbances were reported in the Gaza Strip, where Arab sources said two Palestinians were beaten by troops, and in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron.