‘Abbas Warns Israel Not to Expel Hamas Politicians from Jerusalem

Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas has come to the defense of four politicians from rival Hamas who are slated for expulsion from Jerusalem. The four were arrested in 2006 and their expulsions ordered at that time, but all were jailed. Now that they have been released, Israeli authorities are moving ahead with the expulsion order. ‘Abbas reacted angrily, saying "We won’t accept it. We won’t allow it. We won’t just overlook it." Those marked for expulsion have said they will refuse to go peacefully. The Palestinians charge that the expulsions are part of an Israeli policy to reduce the number of Palestinians in the capital city. Israel, though, says the move is entirely security-related.