Israel forcibly deports 154 released Palestinian prisoners
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Israel forcibly deports 154 released Palestinian prisoners
Families of many Palestinian prisoners released under a prisoner swap deal with Israel say the long-awaited release is a mix of joy and sorrow, as they learn their loved ones will be deported to a third country. The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said Israel will force at least 154 Palestinian prisoners released as part of the prisoner swap on Monday into exile. Those being deported are part of a larger group of Palestinians released by Israel. They include 250 held in Israeli jails and about 1,700 Palestinians detained in Gaza over the past two years. Many of them were “disappeared,” according to the United Nations.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups released 20 Israeli prisoners on Monday under a Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel has not yet given any details about where the freed Palestinians will be sent. However, dozens of prisoners were deported to countries in the region, including Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, during a prisoner release in January. Observers say the forced deportations violate the citizenship rights of the freed prisoners, and are evidence of the double standard in prisoner swaps. "It goes without saying that this Israeli move is illegal," Tamar Karmut, an associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.
"It is illegal because they are Palestinian citizens. They do not have citizenship in any other country. They are being taken from a small prison to a large one," Karmut said. They are being sent away from their own communities to new countries where they will face severe restrictions. It is inhumane.’ Families shocked Speaking to Al Jazeera in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, relatives of Palestinian prisoner Muhammad Imran said they were shocked to learn that he was on the list of deportees. Raed Imran said that an Israeli intelligence officer had earlier called them to confirm that his 43-year-old brother Muhammad Imran would be released and asked where he would be after his release. But on Monday, the family received disappointing news. They were told that Muhammad, who was arrested in December 2022 and sentenced to life in prison on 13 charges, would be deported. Raed Imran said, ‘Today’s news was a big shock. But we are still waiting. Maybe we will see him somehow. The important thing is that he is being released, whether at home or abroad. The deportation means that Imran's family may never be able to visit him abroad due to Israeli control of the border. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from the occupied West Bank, said: "We are seeing many families who could see their loved ones deported from Palestine. There will be no way to meet their relatives who are free from captivity."
According to Karmut, the purpose of the deportation is to prevent Hamas and other Palestinian groups from claiming any symbolic victory from the prisoner exchange. Another purpose is to keep the deported prisoners away from any political or other activity. Karmut said, “Deportation means the end of the political future of these prisoners. They will have to live in countries where they will be under strict restrictions on their movement. So they will not be able to be active in any way.” The analyst added that the deportation is a forced displacement for the released prisoners and a punishment for their families, as the families will either be separated from their deported loved ones or forced to leave their homeland to visit them if Israel allows them. “It is a win-win situation for Israel,” said Associate Professor Tamar Karmut. Compare this to the experience of the released Israeli prisoners. They will be able to resume a normal life in Israel. Tamar Karmut also said that this is nothing but a double standard and hypocrisy.
