Take Action: Pregnant French wife of former prisoner Salah Hamouri denied entry to Palestine

salah hamouri

French-Palestinian former prisoner in Israeli jails, Salah Hamouri, was finally freed in 2011 after lengthy campaigns in France and Palestine calling for his freedom. Since his release from prison, Hamouri has been repeatedly targeted by the Israeli occupation, including being banned from the West Bank as he completed law studies in Ramallah.  Now, his pregnant wife – and their soon-to-be-born child – are facing expulsion from Palestine and denial of Jerusalem residency. Take action now to demand French officials take action for this family targeted for Israeli injustice.

Since 2014, Salah Hamouri has been married to Elsa Lefort, a French woman who works at the French consulate in Jerusalem, where they have made their home. Lefort has a valid visa for entry to Palestine until October 2016, as an employee of the French consulate. Nevertheless, after visiting Lefort’s family in France for Christmas and New Year’s Day, when returning with Hamouri, Lefort was denied entry by Israeli border guards at Ben Gurion Airport. Lefort, six and a half months pregnant with her and Hamouri’s first child, was held in detention for two days and two nights before being deported to France. No explanation other than vague “security reasons” were presented for Lefort’s deportation.

In three more weeks, Lefort will be medically barred from flying due to her advanced pregnancy.

Salah Hamouri is a Jerusalemite Palestinian, carrying a Jerusalem ID. Jerusalemite Palestinians have been subject to ongoing attempts to strip them collectively and individually of their Jerusalem residency and ID cards; thousands of Palestinians have been stripped of their Jerusalem IDs since the year 2000. If Salah and Elsa’s child is born in Paris rather than in Jerusalem, the child is at severe risk of being denied a Jerusalem ID and the entire family is at risk of separation. (See this report by Society of Saint Yves for a full discussion of the impacts of Israel’s policies on Palestinian Jerusalemite children.)

It is critical to act now to prevent this massive injustice to Salah, Elsa and their child and urge the French government to act now in the interests of their citizens, Salah and Elsa and ensure that they and their child can live together and freely in Jerusalem. 

TAKE ACTION:

  1. Sign and share the petition being circulated to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius calling for action on the case of Salah, Elsa and their child:  https://secure.avaaz.org/fr/petition/Laurent_Fabius_Ministre_des_Affaires_etrangeres_Justice_et_liberte_pour_Salah_Hamouri_Elsa_et_leur_enfant/
  2. For further actions you can take, please contact the campaign at: [email protected]

See article in French at Le Courrier de l’Atlas: http://www.lecourrierdelatlas.com/1074218012016Une-Francaise-enceinte-d-un-Palestinien-expulsee-d-Israel.html