Israel Resumes Deportation of Palestinians

Israel today resumed its widely denounced deportations of Palestinians, expelling to Lebanon four Muslim fundamentalists the army had charged with inciting violence in the occupied Gaza Strip.

The deportations were the first in 16 months and raised to 64 the number of Palestinians expelled since the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip began in December, 1987.

Palestinians in the occupied territories condemned the deportations. Anticipating demonstrations, the army clamped curfews on at least four Gaza towns and refugee camps, confining residents to their homes.

Police in Lebanon said the four were flown by helicopter to the border and driven through Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon to a Lebanese army checkpoint north of Rashaya. The four told reporters they were handcuffed and blindfolded while transported.

The expulsions were announced by the army and came a day after the men dropped their Supreme Court appeals. The court had rejected their plea to see secret evidence against them.

The deportations were ordered by the army on Dec. 15, a day after three Israelis were stabbed to death in a Tel Aviv suburb. Slogans on the wall at the murder scene claimed responsibility for the Muslim fundamentalist group Hamas.

The army did not accuse the four of direct involvement in the stabbings but said they incited violence as leaders of the group.

The United States, Israel’s strongest ally in the Middle East, has long opposed deportations, saying they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention protecting the rights of people living under occupation.

Ghasan Khatib, a pro-PLO West Bank leader, said deportations “are completely negative for any peace process . . . and will deepen the hatred between the peoples.”

The men apparently were not allowed to see their families before their expulsion, except during a court appearance Monday.

The men are Fadel Khadel Zaabut, 34, a college instructor in Gaza City; Emad Khaled Alami, 34, a civil engineer; Mustafa Youssef Abdul Lidawi, 26, and Mustafa Ahmed Qnuih, 45.