Israel / Palestinian Territories – France condemns the expulsion of Mr Salah Hamouri (18 December 2022)

We condemn today the Israeli authorities’ decision, against the law, to deport Salah Hamouri to France.

Since his most recent arrest, France has been fully mobilized, including at the highest level of the government, to ensure that Mr Hamouri’s rights are respected, that he benefits from all possible legal remedies and that he can lead a normal life in Jerusalem, where he was born, resides and wishes to live.

France has also taken multiple steps to communicate to the Israeli authorities in the clearest way its opposition to this expulsion of a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, an occupied territory under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Staff of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris, France’s consulates-general in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv, and France’s embassy in Israel have deployed all their efforts to provide him with all the assistance possible through many consular visits. The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is in constant contact with Mr Hamouri’s family.