November 11, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 15, 1424

GAZA, Nov 10: The Israeli military expelled an alleged Palestinian militant from the West Bank to the fenced-in Gaza Strip on Monday without charge or trial, a policy condemned by human rights groups.

Kamal Idris turned up at a Palestinian checkpoint near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, in the Gaza Strip, after being taken to the area by the Israeli army, witnesses said.

The army said it expelled Idris over his membership in a “terrorist group” in the West Bank city of Al Khalil responsible for attacks on Israelis.

Last month, the military announced it intended to expel 18 West Bank Palestinians to the Gaza Strip for alleged militant activity. In a statement, the Israeli army said the court had issued a permanent ruling rejecting Idris’s appeal.

Describing the expulsion as “residency demarcation”, the army said the move was a “preventative measure” taken against Palestinians who could not be put on trial for fear of exposing intelligence sources who provided information about them.—Reuters