Situation of Salah Hamouri - Q&A - (5 December 2022)

The situation of the French-Palestinian lawyer remains unclear. His administrative detention ended at midnight on Sunday, but as of Monday morning he still hasn’t been released. According to our information, two hearings are planned: one today at 10 a.m. local time, and the other tomorrow. In any case, Israel has let it be known that it would expel Salah Hamouri. You were asked about this on Thursday but have said absolutely nothing regarding that planned expulsion, simply repeating (I quote): “France is monitoring Salah Hamouri’s situation very closely and at the highest levels. President Macron raised his case during a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is in close touch with his family and his lawyers. Mr. Hamouri must be allowed to live a normal life in Jerusalem where he was born and where he resides, and his wife and children must be allowed to join him there.” What are you doing, practically speaking, to prevent Israel from expelling Salah Hamouri, because words aren’t enough and the President’s talk with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid clearly had no effect. Are you considering sanctions against Israel? Are you asking for the suspension of the cooperation agreement between that country and the EU, as stipulated when human rights aren’t being respected, which is obviously true in Salah Hamouri’s case? Or are you just going to let Israel once again make a mockery of international law and, in this case, France?

We have spelled out our position to the Israeli authorities as clearly as possible: Salah Hamouri must not be expelled. He must be allowed to exercise all of his rights and live a normal life in Jerusalem, the city where he was born and where he resides. We have approached the Israeli government very recently to remind them of our opposition to our compatriot’s expulsion. We continue to mobilize our efforts in this regard and to provide assistance under the rules of consular protection.