Israel Expelling 4 Palestinians After Murders of 3 Jews
Israel ordered four Palestinian activists deported Saturday, a day after Muslim fundamentalists stabbed three Jews to death, the army said.
If upheld, the expulsions would be the first since August, 1989, when five Palestinians were expelled for their roles in the uprising against Israeli rule. Sixty Arabs have been expelled since the uprising began in December, 1987.
Israel Radio said the four were residents of the occupied Gaza Strip and were members of the Muslim fundamentalist movement Hamas.
It said the activists were arrested along with hundreds of other Hamas members. The group claimed responsibility for the three murders Friday in the Arab-Jewish town of Jaffa, adjacent to Tel Aviv.
The army would not say how many Arabs were arrested; Arab reports said it was nearly 500.
The army said the four activists ordered out of the country all took part in violent activities. But it was not clear if they were suspected of involvement in the killings.
The four will be allowed to appeal the expulsion order to the Israeli Supreme Court, the army said.
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