Goodbye, Jerusalem - Abu Tir
Photo: Noam Moscowitz
Hamas threatens Israel over Abu Tir expulsion
Islamic group upset over decision to expel Hamas leader from Jerusalem
Hamas is threatening to exact revenge over Israel's decision to expel from Jerusalem senior group figure Muhammad Abu Tir, who was released from prison Thursday after four years in jail.
Abu Tir was detained along with other parliamentarians as a bargaining chip, in a bid to press Hamas to release abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
A few hours after the Hamas man's release, he was called in for a Shin Bet interrogation and told that he is being expelled from his hometown, Jerusalem. He was given until June 19 to leave the capital.
"This is playing with fire and the crossing of all the red lines," Hamas' statement in response to the decision said. "The enemy will assume the dangerous implications of its attempts to expel the Palestinians from Jerusalem.
"The Palestinians will not sit by idly in the face of the conspiracy threatening Jerusalem," the group said.
Will decision be appealed?
Hamas also made sure to take a jab at the Palestinian Authority, noting that "the decision is the result of the pursuit after needless negotiations between Israel and the Authority, and a product of the security coordination between PA agencies and the Zionist enemy."The Islamic group charged that Israel was exploiting the negotiations in order to realize its "conspiracies and crimes" towards the Palestinians and Muslim holy sites.
Meanwhile, sources close to Abu Tir were unable to confirm his next moves in the face of the expulsion decision. His close associates said that the Israeli decision is still being examined in terms of its legality and may be appealed.
