by AIC, see invitation to a press conference December 9th.

01. On January 2006, the Palestinian legislative elections were held under the supervision and attendance of the international community.

02. Jerusalemites participated in those elections and voted in the post offices in the city(under the Israelis authorities' conditions). The electoral process was witnessed as transparent and democratic.

03. After the elections' outcome and the formation of the new government, the Israeli Minister of Interior threatened three Jerusalemite deputies (Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Teir, Ahmed Mohammed Atoun, Mohammed Omran Tawtah), and the former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, (Khaled Ibrahim Abu Arafah) of revoking their Jerusalem permanent residency status if they would not resign from the Palestinian Legislative Council and the government.

04. On June 29, 2006, a large number of Palestinian deputies and ministers, including those aforementioned, were arrested by the Israeli authorities on account of their participation in the Palestinian Legislative Council and the PA's Hamas government. They were prosecuted before Israeli military courts, and sentenced for 2 to 4 years of imprisonment. The deputies and minister have all completed their sentences.

05. Following their releases, they were summoned by the Israeli police, and had their identification cards confiscated. Furthermore, they were given expulsion notification from Jerusalem, for a one-month period.

06. Mohammed Abu Teir’s expulsion period starts on June 19, 2010, while the other officials’ notification periods start on July 2, 2010.

07. The deputies and minister have always been Jerusalem permanent residents. They were born and raised in Jerusalem, and they are currently living in the city with their families. Their centers of life are in Jerusalem.

08. Jerusalem is defined as an occupied city according to International Law provisions, and has therefore its population protected by the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention (IV) Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which strictly forbids expulsion of individuals from the occupied population, as well as separation of family members, under any circumstances.

09. The Israeli Authorities’ decision to expel the Jerusalemite deputies and the minister is a grave violation of International Law and International Humanitarian Law. It also represents collective punishment and racial discrimination.

10. Your efforts to halt the implementation of this unfair and unlawful act, in conjunction with the international community and human rights organizations, will undoubtedly protect the occupied Palestinian population from Israel’s forced displacement and expulsion measures.

Kindly accept our best regards,

The Jerusalemite Deputies and Former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs

 Occupied Jerusalem – June 12, 2010