France criticizes Israel for prolonging detention of French-Palestinian detainee
Instead of being expelled to France last Sunday, French-Palestinian Salah Hamouri is being kept in prison pending a Jan. 1 court hearing of his case.
PARIS — The French Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that its consul general in Tel Aviv assisted in the two court hearings Dec. 6 on French-Palestinian Salah Hamouri, in detention in Israel since March 2022, urging Israeli authorities to release the detained citizen, and and allow him to reside with his family in Jerusalem.
''We continue to be committed in our efforts for [Hamouri] to be able to exercise the totality of his rights and [for him] to lead a normal life in Jerusalem, his city of birth and residence,'' noted the French foreign ministry.
Paris reiterated its commitment to continue with its efforts to ensure his release instead of expulsion. On Tuesday, the French consulate in Jerusalem tweeted, "We have made our position clear to Israel. Salah Hamouri must not be expelled."
Hamouri was born and raised in Jerusalem. He has been in administrative detention without being charged at the Hadarim security prison for the past nine months. Last week, Israel announced it was releasing him from detention, revoking his Jerusalem residence and deporting him to France. Still, in the end, Hamouri was not deported on Sunday as announced but was kept in detention.
