OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 15 October 2003 — Israel yesterday expelled 15 West Bank Palestinian detainees to Gaza, as troops backed by attack helicopters and tanks raided a Gaza refugee camp for the second time in a week.
Announcing the expulsion orders, the military said the 15 detainees have been moved to an army lockup near the Gaza Strip and have two days to appeal. The 15 are being held by Israel without trial or charges, in so-called administrative detention.
The military said that the group included eight members of Hamas and five of Islamic Jihad. The group will not be allowed to leave Gaza for the next two years under the terms of the detention order.
The military said the 15 were not directly involved in any attacks and did “not have blood on their hands.”
The military issued such expulsion orders only twice before, when it moved three relatives of Palestinian suspects from the West Bank to Gaza last year in hopes of deterring future attacks on Israelis.
Israel’s Supreme Court later approved the practice of expelling relatives directly involved in terror acts, but human rights lawyers denounced the practice as a violation of international law.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said the decision demonstrated Israel’s determination to undermine the peace process. “Israel is committing flagrant acts of aggression to sabotage peace efforts,” Qorei told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah when questioned about the decision.
“It’s a very dangerous step,” Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said. “This is not an act of self-defense. This is an act that deserves the condemnation of the United States, the European Union and other members of the international community,” Erekat added.
In the Rafah raid, army bulldozers razed four homes, while troops took over several buildings and snipers set up positions on three rooftops.
At the start of the pre-dawn operation, helicopters fired toward the camp to clear the way for two columns of armored vehicles, witnesses said.
In the first raid, eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed by Israeli gunfire. The UN Relief and Works Agency said 114 homes were destroyed in that operation, leaving 1,240 people homeless.
