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Jordan protests to Israel over expulsions

By the CNN Wire Staff
A Palestinian woman stands in front of her West Bank house on April 14 after its demolition by Israeli army bulldozers.
A Palestinian woman stands in front of her West Bank house on April 14 after its demolition by Israeli army bulldozers.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Israel says those without Israel-issued permit are "infiltrators"
  • Jordan calls order a "flagrant violation of international law and conventions"
  • Palestinian peace talks negotiator says policy belongs to an "apartheid state"
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Amman, Jordan (CNN) -- Jordan has called in Israel's ambassador for an official protest over a controversial decision to expel Palestinians that Israel says are living illegally in the West Bank, the Jordanian state news agency reported Wednesday.

The Jordanian government considers the Israeli move "a flagrant violation of international law and conventions" and a violation of Israel's obligations as the occupying power in the West Bank, the state news agency Petra announced.

Israel has controlled the West Bank since the 1967 Mideast war. The order at the center of the controversy threatens Palestinians living in the territory without an Israeli-issued permit with deportation or imprisonment as "infiltrators."

The order modifies rules that date back to 1969. It took effect Wednesday.

A group of Israeli human rights organizations had asked Defense Minister Ehud Barak to delay the order's implementation, arguing it would "turn all residents of the West Bank into criminals," but the Israeli government said the order makes "no change with regard to who is illegal or illegal."

Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in long-stalled peace talks with Israel, said the new policy belongs in "an apartheid state."

"These orders have the effect of turning Palestinians into criminals in their own homes, while directly undermining the efforts of Palestinians to run their own internal affairs," Erakat said in a written statement Sunday.

"They also open the flood gate for Israel to target foreign-born spouses, foreign workers, and even Israeli citizens as 'infiltrators,' as well as anyone participating in demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights and against Israel's occupation."

Erakat said the order shows Israel's goal is not peace, but "the colonization of the West Bank."

"The fewer Palestinians there are in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem, the more settlers there will be," he said.