An Israeli military court today approved the expulsion of three Palestinian relatives
of suspected terrorists from the West Bank to Gaza, Israeli media reported. The expulsions would be the first of their kind - a new Israeli tactic purportedly aimed at discouraging Palestinians from carrying out attacks.
The Israeli Defence Ministry and military refused to comment on the report.
Human rights activists said the decision would be appealed to Israeli civilian courts.
The three Palestinians facing expulsion are Intisar and Kifah Ajouri, sister and brother of Ali Ajouri, who is accused of handing belts with explosives over to suicide bombers, and Abdel Nasser Asidi, brother of a Hamas activist who is suspected of killing several Israelis.
Israel decided on expulsion of relatives of suspected attackers, including suicide bombers, as a deterrent measure last month, at one point arresting 19 relatives, apparently intending to send them all to Gaza.
However, the Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein ruled that only relatives who were alleged to be directly connected to the attacks could be punished.
In another measure aimed at deterrence, Israel has started destroying the family homes of those accused of attacking Israel. Palestinians and human rights groups have denounced both policies as collective punishment.
Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh called for international intervention to stop the expulsions.
"This will not help calm the situation," Abu Rdeneh said. "The results of such a step will be the destruction of international and Arab efforts to help the peace in the region."
Earlier, a Palestinian man was killed by Israel troops in suspicious circumstances in the northern West Bank, with the Israeli military claiming he was shot while trying to escape arrest and his family alleging he was killed while in Israeli custody.
The Israeli Army said an Israeli soldier was slightly wounded when a bomb went off as a group of soldiers was travelling near by the Palestinian village of Anza, also in the northern West Bank. AP