France to Israel: Don’t strip terrorist of Jerusalem residency permit

“Mr. Hamouri must be able to lead a normal life in Jerusalem, where he was born and where he resides,” France said.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

France has requested that Israel not revoke the residency of convicted terrorist Salah Hamouri, and also allow his family to join him in Jerusalem.

Hamouri was born in eastern Jerusalem to a French mother and Palestinian Arab father. He holds French citizenship and an Israeli residency permit.

“Mr. Hamouri must be able to lead a normal life in Jerusalem, where he was born and where he resides. His wife and son must also be granted the right to visit him in Jerusalem,” France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said Friday.

The ministry said they are in close contact with Hamouri and those around him and that French authorities are closely monitoring his situation at a high level.

According to a statement by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Anna Azari, Deputy Director Europe Division, spoke Friday with French Ambassador to Israel Eric Danon and informed him that Israel is acting to revoke Hamouri’s residency.

“The State of Israel is committed to its fight against terrorism and acts against internal terrorist activists, as do France and many other countries around the world,” Azari said.

Hamouri is a senior operative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization.

He has been detained and imprisoned several times for security offenses, including financing terrorist activities, recruitment, and conspiracy to carry out an attack against former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in 2005.

Hamouri was one of 1,027 terrorists released by Israel in 2011 in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who had been held by Hamas since 2006.

The MFA said that even after Hamouri’s release, he continued hostile activity against the State of Israel and was detained once more for a period of about a year.

“These serious acts were committed while taking advantage of his Israel residency with the aim of harming the State of Israel, its residents, and its citizens, and ostensibly and blatantly constitute a breach of trust to the State of Israel,” the MFA said.

In 2014, Hamouri married Elsa Lefort, a French citizen.

Lefort is the daughter of Jean-Claude Lefort, a member of the French Communist Party and president of the France-Palestine Solidarity Association.

In 2016, Elsa Lefort, six months pregnant with Hamouri’s child, attempted to enter Israel. She was deported to France and banned for 10 years.