Israel sets precedent by expelling families

A military court set a new precedent yesterday by approving the expulsion of three relatives of suspected Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank to Gaza, Israel Television reported.

They are the brother and sister of Ali Ajouri, who is accused of giving belts with explosives to suicide bombers, and the brother of a Hamas activist who is suspected of killing several Israelis. They were given 12 hours to appeal to a civilian court.

A spokesman for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said: "We see [the ruling] as an illegal, immoral decision that strays from all human rights values."

In May, after a siege at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, 26 Palestinians were moved to Gaza and 13 others were deported, but this was done with the Palestinian Authority's agreement and was not tested in Israeli courts.

Last month, 19 relatives were arrested with the intention of sending them to Gaza, but the Attorney General ruled that only those directly connected with attacks could be punished.(AP)